The Making of Agent Sammie Gibbs
by 520KB
Summary: When Leroy Jethro Gibbs took Sammie into his life, he knew life would have some unexpected changes. He got more than he ever imagined. DiNozzo humor/Love/Family


Leroy Jethro Gibbs put his tools down with more force than intended and sighed. He thought that if he could just have a few hours with his boat, he would calm down. It wasn't working. _"What was I thinking?" _he berated himself. _"Why did I ever think that this would work? It's not the same. _I'm _not the same. I don't have what it takes to be a dad again."_ His thoughts carried on in the same vein for the better part of an hour as he leaned his head against his boat and mentally chastised himself.

_"I have the rules for a reason,"_ he thought. He could just hear what Mike Franks would say, if he were here now. "Come on, probie. You know better than to get personally involved in a case. Shake it off. You can't save them all."

Indeed. If there was one thing Gibbs knew, it was that you can't save them all. But this had been, by far, the most disturbing case he had ever seen. He watched even the most hardened agents wipe moisture from their eyes as the little girl left behind at the crime scene hunkered in the corner and whimpered for her mother. Poor kid had watched her parents get murdered. The murderer had been careless, never realizing he left behind a small witness who was hiding behind the couch.

But leave a witness he did, and Gibbs could tell by her wide eyes and her shaking body that it wasn't an image she would soon forget. Her father was navy, but had gotten himself into some trouble. And when the men showed up to collect the debt, he couldn't pay. They killed his wife in front of him to make sure he knew they were serious. When they saw he wasn't going to pay up, they decided to tie up loose ends and killed him too. Best the police could figure, the little girl hid for the rest of the night before she had the courage to crawl out of her hiding place and call 911.

If there was one soft spot to Leroy Jethro Gibbs, it was children. He was good with kids. He had loved being a father. He especially hated it when kids were hurting. Nobody else was having any luck, so he decided to give it a try. He didn't try to pull out her of her spot. Instead, he sat down beside her.

"I'm agent Gibbs," he said kindly.

Big blue eyes looked back up at him. She didn't say a word, but he could see that her eyes weren't missing a thing.

"_Kelly used to look at me that same way when she was trying to figure out whether or not she was in trouble. This kid is trying to figure out if she can trust me."_

"I bet you're really scared. I know I would be. But I just wanted to let you know, I'm here now to keep you safe. We won't let that bad guy come back."

Gibbs winced internally. Kid had been so scared she had wet herself at some point during the ordeal. She smelled awful. Her normally blonde hair was matted and dirty, having been rubbed with tears and snot for the last 24 hours.

"I'm Samantha," she said quietly. "But my mommy calls me Sammie."

Gibbs took note of the fact that she didn't mention her father. He also noticed several bruises on her arm, as if she had been grabbed by force. Didn't add up if the perp never knew she was there.

"Hi, Sammie. You can just call me Gibbs," was all he said.

They sat there for another 15 minutes, neither one talking, before Sammie slipped her hand into Gibbs' hand. He held it for a bit longer before saying, "Sammie, we need to get you out of here and take you to our office. Would you be alright with that?"

"Will you stay with me?" she asked, her serious blue eyes never leaving his.

Before he could stop the words from leaving his mouth he promised, "I'll be by your side the whole time."

Gibbs stood up and wiped the sawdust from his jeans. He had kept his promise to Sammie, but he hadn't had much choice. The kid grew hysterical if anyone suggested he step away from her. He had to trust his team to take over the case, and he dealt with Sammie. The more he dealt with the kid, the deeper he got. She had nobody in the world. No relatives. No close family friends. Parents hadn't made any provisions. Every time he looked at her, he imagined what he would've wanted someone to do for Kelly in the same situation. She didn't look like his Kelly, but something in her mannerisms, her honest appraisal of him, her intelligent eyes, drew him to her. She reminded him of his little girl. And even though he was a very unlikely candidate and it made no sense, Gibbs found himself stepping in to take care of the ten year old.

Gibbs was no idiot. He knew there would be an adjustment period. But he hadn't accounted for just how long it would be. He spent months helping Sammie through night terrors and trying to get her to open up to him. For a while he wondered if the kid would ever talk. Gibbs wasn't a man of many words, though, so he didn't rush her.

Then one day it seemed that the gates opened and Sammie's true personality came out. He thought the hard part was over. They had a few blissful months, and then the defiance began. Sammie tested him every chance she got. The social worker told him that was a good thing. It meant Sammie trusted him enough to test her boundaries. She was making sure that his love had no limits. The social worker told him this was textbook behavior for kids in Sammie's situation. Right now, he wished Sammie would take notes from another book. He was exhausted. He made his way up the stairs to check on her. She was asleep, just as she should be.

He smirked as he looked down at her. She was a stubborn little thing. He didn't think anyone could rival him for strong will, but Sammie came close. She was smart, too. He was about as good at reading people as anyone he knew, and he knew that Sammie didn't miss a thing. He had no proof yet, but he supposed it was a survival skill. The kid had to be sharp to make it in her home, his gut said. His heart squeezed in compassion for her, and he determined not to give up. If Sammie was going to have any chance at understanding what a healthy home looked like, it was up to him. He sighed, hoping tomorrow would be a fresh start with no more tests from Sammie.

Gibbs looked up from the bacon he was frying. "Hey kiddo. You get a good night of sleep?"

She nodded and smiled, pushing her wild hair out of her eyes. "You made me bacon?"

"Sure did," he smiled at her. "That ok?"

"It's my favorite," she looked confused.

"Well doesn't that make you happy?" he asked.

She nodded. "I just…haven't been very nice to you lately."

He winked at her, "Doesn't mean I won't be nice to you."

She chewed her breakfast, her bright blue eyes never leaving his face. He saw her little shoulders relax and then decided they needed to do something fun.

"Sammie, have you ever ridden a roller coaster?" he asked.

Her eyes widened and she smiled around her bacon. She shook her head no. "Always wanted to."

He nodded, the decision made, "Then let's go."

The two came back that evening, a tired but happy pair. Gibbs had never seen Sammie laugh so hard, and she spent most of the day with her hand in his. Gibbs finally felt like they were making progress. He held the picture taken of the two of them on the coaster in his hand and smiled at it. It definitely belonged on the fridge. Sammie's ponytail was flying in the air and she was screaming. He was looking at her and laughing. Laughing more than he had in a very long time.

That night he was sanding his boat, thinking Sammie was fast asleep, when he heard light footsteps on the stairs. He sighed, "What're you doing up, Sam?"

She shuffled her feet nervously. "Thinking."

"Oh yeah?" he put his sandpaper down. "Bout what?"

She looked up at him with wet eyes, "Bout how I'm a lot of things, but I ain't never been a liar."

Gibbs smirked. Sammie might be a beautiful little girl, but she was tough as nails. "Never thought you were, Sam."

"There's something I wanna tell you, but it's gonna make you mad," Sammie said.

"Why don't you try me?" Gibbs sat on the stair and patted the seat next to him.

She sat down and said, "Last night, after you sent me to my room, I got real mad at you. You sat your phone on the table for just a minute and I grabbed it and erased your voicemails. I did it just to be mean. I heard your boss yelling at you later and you saying you never got the message. Then I felt real bad about it." Sammie began to cry. "Then you made me bacon and you took me to ride a roller coaster and…and…I don't know why I keep being bad but I just couldn't lie to you. I don't like to lie. Not even to my daddy when he was mad and I knew he was gonna…"

"Gonna what, Sam?" Gibbs asked.

She shook her head. "Doesn't matter. Please don't hate me, Gibbs. Cause I really want you to keep being my Daddy."

He sighed. There it was. The crux of the matter. "I don't hate you, Sammie. And I'm gonna keep being your Daddy. No matter what. Even if you make me very angry. I won't stop loving you."

Sammie's tears started all over. "I think I'm starting to understand that, Gibbs. But…I might still mess up. Your house is…different than how I grew up. My dad could be…mean. You never are."

Gibbs smiled, "That's not what you said when I sent you to your room."

She was serious, though. "Not the same."

He hugged her, "I know." Then he tilted her chin up so she was looking him in the eye. "Listen, kiddo. I appreciate your honesty. If there's one thing I hate, it's lying. You know you can always come to me. Even if I don't like what you're telling me, I'll have your back. Got it? Doesn't mean you won't be in trouble. But as long as you tell me the truth, we're good."

She let out a big breath and hugged him. "Gibbs, I love you."

She had never said the words before, and Gibbs couldn't help the way his throat got tight as he whispered, "I love you too, Sam. Always will."

"Am I in trouble this time?" she asked.

"What do you think?" he arched a brow at her and gave her his famous stare.

Sammie sighed. Gibbs didn't get mad the way her daddy did. He never slapped her or grabbed her so hard he left bruises. But he was no softy, either. He was an old-fashioned guy and he didn't let her off easy.

"Tomorrow, you're mine for the day. I have a long list of chores heading your way, starting with weed pulling bright and early," he said. "And Sammie, my phone is very important. People's lives depend on me getting those messages. Please, don't ever mess with it again."

Sammie looked him in the eye. "I'll give you a Sammie Promise. And I NEVER break a Sammie promise."

"Good," he winked.

"Gibbs? We ok?" she asked.

"We're always ok, Sammie. Now get to bed. You have a long day ahead of you," he kissed the top of her head and sent her off.

Gibbs was working in the bullpen when he received a call from Sammie's school. Sammie was in trouble. He rubbed his eyes. They'd had such a good couple of months. What kind of trouble had the kid gotten into now? Whatever it was, it required his immediate presence at the principal's office.

Gibbs walked in and saw Sammie shooting darts at the principal with her eyes. She didn't look like a kid who had been caught in anything. She looked fired up.

The woman stood. "Mr. Gibbs. Hello. I'm Principal Miller. I wanted to talk to you about Samantha. There was some…profane writing on a stall in the girl's bathroom and I have reason to believe that Samantha did it."

Gibbs looked at his girl, "Sammie, did you do it?"

She returned his gaze openly and honestly. "Nope."

Gibbs looked back at the principal. "She says she didn't do it."

Mrs. Miller looked surprised for a moment. "Mr. Gibbs, I understand that a parent doesn't like for their child to get into trouble, but I hardly think Sammie saying she didn't do it is proof."

Gibbs crossed his arms. "Well, what proof do you have that Sam _did_ do it?"

Mrs. Miller looked uncomfortable. "Well, we haven't had trouble like this before. And I know that many foster kids are…_troubled."_

Gibbs forced himself to take a calming breath, but Sammie could see the muscle in his jaw working. She knew from experience that it meant he was trying to be patient.

"Let's get something straight, Mrs. Miller. Samantha is not a foster kid. She's my daughter. Samantha is not _troubled._ And Samantha isn't a liar. She's not perfect and trust me, she knows that if she messes up she will face serious consequences at home. But if you accuse my daughter of something and drag me out of work to deal with it, you better make good and sure you have a reason. Do I make myself clear?" He stopped for a moment as if he were going to let her answer. But then he said, "Maybe you don't know this but I'm a federal agent. I interrogate people for a living and I've picked up a few things. Sammie isn't lying. She always tells me the truth, even if she knows there will be consequences. You got cameras in this school? You even check them to see who might have done it? You compare hand writing? Look for a motive?"

Mrs. Miller cleared her throat. "Maybe we were a bit hasty in accusing Sammie."

Gibbs leaned close and got in her face. "Yeah. Maybe," he said sarcastically. "My kid gonna get treated fairly around here?"

Mrs. Miller shifted her papers on her desk and nodded, "Of course. Sammie, if you really didn't do it, I apologize."

To her credit, Sammie didn't gloat. "Thank you Mrs. Miller. And just so you know, I saw the writing. Mrs. Creech is my favorite teacher. We get along really well. Ask her. I would never write something so mean about her. I mean I wouldn't write on the walls anyway, but definitely not about her. She helped me get caught up in math cause I was really behind before my dad adopted me. She never made me feel dumb. She's really cool."

Gibbs stood again. "I'm taking Sammie home for the day. I trust tomorrow will be a fresh start for her."

Mrs. Miller swallowed nervously. "Yes, of course. I apologize again, Sammie."

When they left the office, Sammie looked up at him with pure adoration in her eyes. "You believed me. No questions asked."

"Told you I always would if you didn't lie to me," he said.

"Thanks, Dad." She slipped her hand in his and squeezed it. It was the first time she called him Dad. It may have taken eleven years, but Sammie finally found someone she could trust.

_Two years later_

"Hey Dad!" 13 year old Sammie Gibbs dropped her backpack on the empty desk in his bullpen. Over the last two years, NCIS had become her second home. Gibbs often questioned the wisdom of letting a young girl absorb the information she was bound see and hear at his office, but he didn't fight it. He had tried after school care and Sammie ended up feeling neglected. One thing he had learned about Sammie was that nothing meant more to her than spending time together, even if it was sitting next to him while he worked.

One positive change had come from her time at NCIS. Along with picking up some serious street smarts, the new forensic scientist, Abby Sciuto, had a positive influence on Sammie's interest in her looks. Sammie wasn't what he would call girly by any stretch. But she had at least discovered a hair brush and matching clothes. For that, Gibbs was thankful. Abby was a colorful character, but she had a good heart. Gibbs liked her immediately and knew that even with all her eccentricities, she would be a good influence on Sammie.

"Can I go hang out with Abby?" she asked like she did most every day.

"Homework done?" came the standard reply.

"Almost. But my brain needs a break, Daddy. Promise. I only have a little bit left."

He smirked. "Ok. 15 minutes, tops. Abby has work to do and so do you."  
Sammie smiled like he had given her the world. She headed towards the elevator as Director Vance appeared. He laughed. "It's nice when our girls still look at us like we're the good guys, isn't it?" he said to Gibbs.

Gibbs nodded. Vance was a family man. He'd been with NCIS for a year and was much more understanding about Sammie than Morrow had been. Sammie stayed out of trouble and generally charmed everyone she met. Vince didn't mind having her around. She brightened up an office that rarely got good news.

Vance shook his head. "Kayla seems to think I'm the enemy more often than not. And I have to beg her to hang out with me. You're doing something right, Gibbs."  
"Aw, Leon. It's just a phase. You know as well as I do teenage girls change moods faster than the weather," Gibbs tried to console him.

"Yeah, I know. But you and Sammie have something special. Don't take it for granted," Vance almost looked wistful as he walked away.

Gibbs wondered if he didn't take Sammie for granted sometimes. He heard the other agents talk around the office. They told stories of their kids sneaking out, lying, making their lives miserable because they were grounded, and being lazy. It was common for parents to vent their frustrations to each other. Everyone probably assumed Gibbs stayed quiet during these sessions because he had never been one to share personal information. In reality, he was quiet because he didn't have any of the same complaints. Sammie had worked hard to catch up in school. She was well-liked by her teachers and her peers. She offered her help around the house often, and Gibbs knew she did much more than he saw. She generally accepted no for an answer without pouting, and she knew better than to complain about being grounded. She knew Gibbs was old-fashioned and that he would still give her some swats if he thought she needed them. He was grateful for Sammie. She was making him a better person. He had been too deep in his own world for so long, but Sammie was helping him swim to the surface. To see light again. He had to. He wasn't just thinking about himself anymore.

Just then the subject of his thoughts appeared, "I'm back. 14 ½ minutes." She winked. "Abby wants to come for dinner tonight. That ok?"

"Of course. What should we make?" Gibbs asked.

"Pizza?" she said hopefully.

"Nice try. You know the rule. Take-out one night a week. The rest of the week we eat food that won't rot our guts."  
She sighed dramatically as Director Vance came back around. "Director, isn't it cruel and unusual punishment to deny a growing kid pizza," she teased.

Vance came over, eyes lit at the chance to tease Gibbs. Vance knew Sammie's story. He had a soft spot for her. "I think so, Sammie. If he's really worried about it, he could throw some vegetables on it and call it good."

Sammie turned hopeful eyes to Gibbs. "See Gibbs? Even the director says pizza is a good idea."

Gibbs snorted.

Sammie whispered loudly to Vance, "I know you guys have rules about NEVER, EVER breaking an order. Can you make this one a direct order?"  
Vance laughed and ruffled her hair, "Sorry, kid. Parents have unspoken rules too. And #1 is never, ever, interfere with someone else's parenting. Enjoy your vegetables."

Sammie groaned, "Thanks a lot, sir! Poor Kayla. She probably never gets pizza, either."

Vance said, "You know, it sounds pretty good, Sammie. I think you have the right idea. I'll pick some up on the way home."

At this Sammie swung pleading eyes to her father. He held up his hands, "All right. All right. You and Abby can have pizza night. But tomorrow is my pick. Got it?"

Sammie gave Vance an air high five as he walked away and Gibbs knew he had never stood a chance to begin with.

A few months later, Gibbs wasn't feeling so lucky. It seemed they were squaring off again over Sammie's need for independence.

"Daddy. You never let me do anything and I think I've earned your trust!" Sammie said in frustration.

"It's not _you_ I have a problem trusting, kiddo. It's other kids. Other parents. You don't know what goes on in families when doors are closed," he said heatedly.

"Uh, yeah, I do Gibbs. I lived it. And I'm not naïve. But I think you need to give me a little freedom. I've proven that I'm responsible, haven't I? I love NCIS but it would be nice to have a friend over after school sometimes. We get home so late, I can never get together with friends." Her eyes filled with tears. "I love my life, but sometimes it gets lonely, never hanging around kids my own age."

Gibbs sighed. "Let's start with one night a week. You ride the bus here and you can have a friend over. I have to clear it with her parents first. If that goes well, we can bump it up to more days. You keep your phone on and stay reachable at all times. Deal?"

Sammie let out a breath she didn't even know she'd been holding. "It's a start."

That night before bed, Gibbs heard the creak of the stairs. He knew that Sammie was coming to ask her standard question after they'd had an argument. His line of work was unpredictable, and that fact was not lost on either of them. They did their very best not to walk out the door angry with each other. So it was no surprise when Sammie appeared.  
"What's up, kiddo?" he said as he continued to work.

"Hey…before I went to sleep I just had to make sure. Are we good?" she asked.

He winked at her, "We're always good, Sammie."

He got a full smile then and she said, "Good night, Dad."

Sammie's 14 Birthday brought more changes to the Gibbs' household. Samantha still adored her dad with unwavering devotion, and that was not a one-way street. Gibbs loved the girl, and he was so proud of her he could barely talk about her without smiling. Sammie still loved hanging around NCIS. She was a quick learner, too. She loved visiting the gym and learning hand to hand combat moves other agents were willing to teach her. He was impressed the last time they sparred. She couldn't beat him, but he was out of breath keeping up with her.

The change was that as much as Sammie adored her father, she also loved her friends. Gibbs tried not to show it, but he missed her on weekends when she went out. However, she always kept Sundays free for him. He didn't even have to ask. It was their special day and she never once missed it, no matter how many invitations she got.

Her new friends opened up a world to her that Gibbs hadn't known before. They taught Sammie to _shop_. And shop she did. The girl loved clothes. Gibbs had to put his foot down and put her on a budget, to her great disappointment. He didn't understand how one girl needed so many pairs of shoes. She discovered hair and makeup techniques as well. Although he reached the height of frustration at how much time she spent looking in the mirror, he had to admit that Sammie was growing into a beautiful young woman.

Her blue eyes were the same shade as Gibbs', and anyone who didn't know their story would never have guessed there was no blood between them. Her long blonde hair fell in messy waves down her back. She had the kind of waves girls paid big money to get. She didn't need the make-up. Her skin was beautiful. But it did bring out her eyes when she put it on. And she was tall. Her long legs gave the impression that she might be older than her 14 years until one saw her eyes. Sammie was young, innocent, and eager to please. Gibbs was increasingly aware of Samantha's good looks when they went out to eat or to the mall. He saw male eyes following her everywhere she went. While his detective eye missed nothing, Sammie seemed unaware of her effect on men. For that, at least, Gibbs was thankful.

Gibbs put away his tools for the night and went to check on Sammie before he headed to bed. His heart beat a bit harder when he noticed she was not in her bed. He was turning to look for her in the kitchen when he heard a paper flutter in the breeze from the window. He flipped the light on and read,

"Gibbs,

If you're reading this, you're probably pretty mad. But I hope you never read this and then you won't be worried at all. But that was dumb to write cause if you are reading this then you're mad. No question about it. Here's the deal. My friend Lindsey invited me to this party with her older sister Jennifer. And my other friend Amy is going too. And I really really wanted to go. Except I knew you'd say no cause the party didn't even start till 11 and it's older kid. But I wanted to see what a party was like. So I snuck out while you were working on your boat. But I promise I'll be back by 2 am. Not a second later. I have my phone on, cause rule #3. Never be unreachable. And the address is 15th Cooper Street but I really hope you don't come and embarrass me. But just to be safe I thought you should know. And anyway. I doubt you'll even know I was gone BUT if you DON'T find this I'll end up telling you tomorrow anyway cause I just can't stand not to tell you the truth. Even if it makes you mad. Gosh. I hate making you mad too. But this is just something I had to do. Don't hate me, ok? Ok. I have to stop writing this before I talk myself out of going. But I had to write it cause this is the worst thing I've ever done and I wanted to at least be a little responsible. I love you, Daddy.

Sammie

Gibbs put the letter down and rubbed his temples for a moment, trying to process what he read. His first instinct was blinding fury. He wanted to drive to that party and pull Sammie out right in front of her friends. Give her a lesson she would never forget so she would never think of sneaking out again.

But being an agent for so many years had taught Leroy Jethro Gibbs to control his emotions. He couldn't help but feel like he had taken a punch to the gut, though. He had trusted Sammie implicitly. She broke that trust. And now she was gallivanting around the city with a carful of teenage girls until 2 am. He saw the worst of society. He knew what could happen.

He looked at his watch. One in the morning. Logic began to settle in. He could wait an hour. If she weren't home by 2, all bets were off. Samantha Gibbs would never be late again. His first plan was to send her a text that said, "You better enjoy yourself b/c this is the last party you'll be going to for a long time." Then he considered simply waiting in her room so he could see her face when she opened the door and found him. But as he stewed on it, he couldn't help but smirk at the note the kid left. Even when she was doing something stupid, she was thinking of him, leaving her whereabouts so he wouldn't worry _too_ much. There was something to be said for that. And she was a good kid. She took on more than her share of the cleaning and cooking. She always made sure he had coffee. She never complained about his long hours, even if it disappointed her. She simply winked and said, "Get the bad guys, Gibbs." Didn't all kids do dumb things every now and then?

In the end, Gibbs decided to give Sammie a chance to redeem herself. He would pretend to go on to bed as if he'd never seen the note. He carefully put it back, turned the light off, and shut the door. He would see if Sammie came clean in the morning. If she did, they would deal with it. If not, she would be one sorry little girl.

Gibbs went to bed and left his door cracked. Sure enough, he heard Sammie come in at 1:55. Now he would simply wait her out and see if she could earn back a bit of trust.

The next morning, Sammie woke up to the smell of her favorite breakfast. Blueberry pancakes. She smiled before the events of the previous night crashed into her consciousness. Oh man. After everything she had done, her dad was downstairs happily making her favorite breakfast.

For a moment she was at war within herself. Wouldn't it do more harm to tell the truth than to leave him in ignorant bliss? She wasn't going to sneak out again, that was for sure. But Sammie only entertained that thought for a moment. There was no way she would be able to look her dad in the eye long term if she kept a secret like this from him.

So it was with a heavy heart that Sammie went down to face her pancakes and her dad. He turned and smiled, "Morning. Didn't think you were ever gonna wake up. Thought the food might lure you down."

She realized it was a lot later than their usual Saturday morning breakfast. "Sorry. You could've woken me. You must be starving."

"It's ok. What do you want to do today? Thought we could spend some time together if you're free?" he questioned.

She swallowed and noticed that her pancakes weren't going down as smoothly as she had hoped. "I'd like to spend time together. We could do whatever you wanted. I…uh…I wondered if maybe we could talk first, though."

Gibbs turned around from his pancake making and arched an eyebrow, inviting her to talk. He really had expected Sammie to come clean. He didn't expect it first thing in the morning though. It usually took his agents half a day to admit a mistake to him. She had guts. He'd give her that.

"So, uh, here's the thing, Gibbs….The thing is…Well, um..I wanted to talk about something…." She found the words harder to come by than she thought they would be.

"Samantha. Spit it out. What's the thing?" he commanded in his work voice. It was effective. She sat up straight and focused her eyes on his.

"Last night I snuck out and went to a party," she said, wincing in anticipation of his reaction.

"Yeah, I know," he said calmly. "Got your note."

That was not the answer she expected. "You did? But you didn't call me or come find me or anything."

"Wanted to give you the chance to make it right," he gave her his famous Gibbs stare.

Sammie's eyes filled with tears. "I didn't like doing it. I-I just wanted to see what a party was like."

Gibbs nodded. "I understand that, Sam. But it was dangerous."

"How come you went to my room after I was asleep?" she tilted her head curiously.

"Cause I always kiss you goodnight before I go to bed," he said matter-of-factly.

"You do?" she was obviously surprised.

"Yup."

"Probably would've been good if I'd known that before," she teased. "That's really sweet, dad." Then Sammie blew out a breath, "There's more, Gibbs."

He tried to stay calm as he considered what 'more' might entail. "I'm listening."

"Uh well, Jennifer was our ride home, you know?" she said.

"The older sister. I remember," Gibbs said dryly.

"Yeah. Um. But…she had a few drinks," Sammie said. "And…and I didn't quite know what to do. It was only three blocks. And I almost called you but I knew you would be asleep. And I was scared to call you. So I let her drive me home. And it was really stupid, Dad. She wasn't driving good. I was scared. I shouldn't have gotten in the car. And I wanted to tell you but you should know that I'll never do anything that dumb again."

Now Gibbs truly felt like he had been socked in the stomach. Samantha had ridden with a drunk driver? Rage fought its way to the surface as he struggled to control himself. He wanted to scream at her but Sammie's pale features and wide blue eyes reminded him not to. Her biological dad had done enough screaming at her the first 10 years of her life. He didn't want to remind her of him. "I need a minute. Don't move," he said as he stormed out of the room.

Samantha tried not to cry. In the last four years, Gibbs had never lost his temper with her. Not once. It had taken awhile for her to learn she didn't have to be afraid of him. But she could never, ever, remember making him so angry that he had simply walked away from her. She knew why he did it. She had seen him lose him temper many times at work, so she knew it was there. But never directed at her. He had walked away so he wouldn't say anything he regretted.

Thirty minutes later, Sammie hadn't dared moved a muscle when Gibbs came back into the room. He pulled a chair out from the table, turned it backward, and sat down right in front of her.

"What's rule #1?" he said softly.

"Never put myself in danger," she answered quickly. Her dad had drilled these rules into her head.

"The sneaking out is pretty darn close to breaking that rule, but getting in the car with a drunk driver, Samantha, blows the rule apart," he voice was dangerously quiet.

"There's no excuse," she kept her eyes lowered. "It was extremely stupid."

Gibbs was proud of her for owning up to it. He tiled her chin up so she had to look into his eyes. When she did, the hurt in his eyes was worse than any punishment he could've handed down. For the first time since she'd known him, Gibbs' eyes misted over. "Why, Sammie? Why wouldn't you just call me? Have I ever given you a reason to be afraid of me?"

She shook her head. "I just thought you might yell at me in front of my friends. Didn't want to wake you up. I-I don't know why I didn't call, Daddy. Truth is, you're my best friend. In that moment, I just wanted you. But…I didn't want to drag you out of bed…"

"You drag me out of bed!" he said forcefully. "You call me! Do you hear me? You call me next time! You do NOT risk your life, Samantha! You're smarter than that!"

She cried and said, "I understand, Gibbs. I do. I promise I won't do it again."

He shook his head. "No, Sammie. I don't know if you do understand. I've already lost one little girl to a car accident. If I lost another, I don't know that I could make it through. I love you, kid. Can't lose you. Not to something as stupid and preventable as being in the car with a hammered kid when I would've come picked you up in a heartbeat."

"You really wouldn't have cared to pick me up?" Sammie asked.

"Kid, you promise me right now that if you're in trouble, you won't hesitate to call. I don't care what it is. I don't care where you are. I don't care if it's in the middle of the night. Promise me, Sam. Promise me you'll use your head. You'll trust your gut. And you'll call me! I won't yell. I won't ask a bunch of questions. Just keep yourself safe!"

She nodded, "I promise, Dad. If I ever get into trouble again, I'll come to you first."

Gibbs let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. "Ok."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes before Sammie said, "I _am_ really sorry. About everything. I want you to trust me, Daddy."

"I know. We're ok, Sam," he rubbed his temples. This conversation had taken a lot out of him. "You're grounded. For a long time," he said.

"Ok." She didn't even dream of arguing. She'd been expecting a lot more than that for breaking rule #1.

"You came to me and you told me the truth when you didn't have to, Sammie. That counts for something in my book. If I'd found out some other way, and I usually do, you'd be in more trouble than you'd dreamed. I'd rather you be honest with me and I believe you when you promise that you won't do it again. But you should know that if #1 gets broken some other way…you won't get off as easily," he gave her his famous stare and she knew he meant it.

"Got it, Gibbs. Rule #1 is sacred. I stay out of danger. I call you if I need you. You'll get me, no questions asked. I won't forget," she promised.

"Good," he sighed.

"We're ok?" she had to ask one more time.

"We're ok, Sammie," he winked.

Sammie was a little confused that her Dad had gone so easy on her. He had never let her off the hook before, and this was about the worst thing she had done. And yet, even after their conversation in the kitchen, they had spent a fantastic day hanging out. They spent the evening watching Sammie's favorite reality show. Gibbs acted like he was indulging her, but the show was all about survivor skills and Sammie could tell he was enjoying it in his own right.

Gibbs was famous for his groundings. Because Sammie's biological father had been so rough with her, Gibbs only used corporal punishment if Sammie could've hurt herself. And he never did it while he was angry. Sammie trusted Gibbs. Most of the time, he created what Abby and others at the office had deemed the 'Gibbs Grounding.' They all teased him about being so hard on Sammie. But Gibbs believed that being tough on people brought the best out in them. Being grounded at the Gibbs house meant no TV, no phone, no friends, a three-page paper of chores to be completed, and being sent to your room when you weren't doing chores. So far, none of those things had happened and Sammie felt a bit guilty about getting off so easy. She had made the only person who had ever loved her cry.

Abby rang her Tuesday after school.

"Sammie guess what! It's time for the pumpkin festival! Our favorite! I got tickets for us Friday night. You, me and Gibbs. Can you come? Please say yes! It's only once a year!"

Sammie could hear Abby typing away and knew she was on the speaker. Sammie could almost feel her excitement through the phone.

Gibbs walked into Abby's lab in time to hear Abby's excited invite. But due to the music, the typing, and Abby's distraction, he went unnoticed.

"I don't think I can, Abby," Sammie sounded disappointed. "I'm grounded."

"Yeah but Gibbs grounded or regular? Cause regular we might be able to pull it off as family time," Abby hedged. Gibbs rolled his eyes and almost threw the Caf-Pow in his hand into the trash.

"Well, I'm not sure. I mean, I obviously still have my phone but things are….unclear," Sammie hedged.

Gibbs frowned. Actually, he hadn't really been clear with Sam. Just told her she was grounded. He'd been too worn out to think much past that.

"Well, do you want to ask? I know it's like your favorite thing. These tickets aren't easy to come by. And Gibbs may not care if it's the three of us and you're not going with friends," Abby reasoned.

"I can't ask, Abby," Sam said. "I really messed up. I hurt him. If I ask, he loses either way. He either feels bad for having to be the bad guy, or he feels bad cause he gave in. I'm sorry, Abby. I'd love to go, but I don't want to put my dad through anymore than I already have."

Abby sighed. "You're a good kid, Samantha Gibbs. I'm really bummed. It won't be the same without you."

"Bring me a pumpkin?" Sammie asked.

"Absolutely. And get your cute butt over to NCIS soon. Surely you're not grounded from that?" Abby said.

"I'll find out," Gibbs could hear the smile in Sammie's voice. "Love ya, Abs."

Gibbs waited a moment after they hung up before he cleared his throat.

"Gibbs!" Abby jumped. "I didn't hear you there!"  
"Oh, I kinda figured that, Abs," he admonished. She had the good grace to look a little embarrassed. "Listen, don't tell Sam, but plan on us for Friday. Ok?"

She hugged him as only Abby could, "Gibbs! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This will be so fun! And you can be our pumpkin carrier again!"

He rolled his eyes, "Can't wait. Now, what have you got, Abs?"

When Gibbs got home, he found Sammie asleep on the couch. Her old sweatshirt was filthy and her hair was a mess. What had she been doing? He took a look around. The house was spotless. The pantry was reorganized. He stepped outside. Sure enough. She had done the weeding of all the flower beds. Sammie hated pulling weeds. He found all the laundry done and folded, and his shirts were even ironed. What had the kid been doing?

"Sammie?" he shook her gently.

Her eyes popped open. "Gibbs! I have supper in the oven. It should be dinging anytime."

She moved to get up but he said, "I'll get it, Sam."

As he set the table she said, "I got a lot done today, Dad."

He met her eyes, "Why?"

She shrugged, "Thought you might want me to. You never said."

"You know if I want you to do chores, I'm not shy about telling you. You must've been working like crazy these past few days. When did you weed the yard?"

"Yesterday. I wanted to make it up to you, Dad," she said softly.

He sighed, "Sam, I appreciate the sentiment but I'm not upset with you. I told you that you were grounded and we were ok."

She shrugged. "I know. I just…hate that I made you upset and I don't ever want you to-"

She stopped abruptly, clearly not meaning to voice the thought that almost came out of her mouth.

"Want me to what, Sam?" he asked gently.

"Nothing," she shook her head.

"Oh I think it's something," he pushed. He had been interrogating people for years but Sammie gave him a run for his money on prying information she didn't want to share. He waited in silence.

"I know your techniques Gibbs. I've been watching you for too long. You stay quiet and the suspect will talk. Well I'm not falling for it," she said.

Man, this kid was smart. "There's been some hurt between us this week, Sam. Don't make it worse by keeping more stuff from me." Ok, maybe that was a low blow. He knew that Sam's love for him was her Achilles' heel. He didn't often manipulate that. But he felt like this was important.

Her eyes widened at the thought of hurting him. Then she mumbled, "I don't ever want you to be sorry that you adopted me."

Gibbs cursed the father who beat this kid. How could anyone hurt such a sweet child? The love he withheld had affected Sammie in ways he might never fully understand. But it was clear that she was still having trouble believing that she was worth loving, just as she is.

"So if you do a bunch of work around here, I'll think you're worth the trouble?" he filled in. She shrugged, but her misty eyes told him he was pretty close to a bulls-eye on that one.

"You think I give my last name to people I don't want around?" he asked. She met his eyes and he could see the question sinking in. Another shrug.

"Nobody forced me to adopt you, Sammie. In fact, I had to fight pretty hard to keep you. Not very typical to put a pre-teen girl with a grouchy old marine," he said.

"You're not grouchy," she defended. Then she thought for a few minutes, "Why'd you do it, Gibbs? Why did you turn your life upside down for me? I know it wasn't easy on you. I know you cut back your work hours and you still worry about me when you have to leave me. You had to learn to brush hair and go shopping and you could've been kicked back watching westerns. You didn't have to wake up in the middle of the night for a solid year because of my nightmares. You didn't have to worry cause a kid was sneaking out. Why, Gibbs?"

He shrugged and his voice grew strained. "First time you looked at me with those big blue eyes, I didn't see much choice, kid. I knew we belonged together. Think I loved you the minute I saw you. And maybe it's my fault for not telling you more, Sam. I love you. I'm not great with words. But I forget you went ten years without hearing the words. You may not realize. You have my heart, Samantha. And I'd do anything for you. You're not a burden. You're my life. And I love that you want to help out around here, but I don't love you anymore for it. I'd love you just the same if you were a pig and you snuck out every night."

Sammie began to cry in earnest then. These were words she needed to hear. She had always refused to speak of her parents, even to the counselors and social workers after her adoption. But she whispered, "It wasn't my dad who broke me. It was my mom." Gibbs eyes filled with tears for her but he only placed a hand on her shoulder and waited.

"I know my dad was broken. There was something in him that was wrong, Gibbs. He didn't have the capacity to love. Not me. Not my mom. He was broken. But my mom…she knew. She saw him hit me. She heard the awful things he said. And she just tried to hide my bruises. She made excuses. She let him hit both of us. Over and over. She chose him, over me. What kind of mother chooses an abuser over her own kid? What's wrong with me, Gibbs, that neither one of them could love me?" her lip quivered at the question and Leroy Jethro Gibbs thought his heart may actually break.

"Samantha you look at me. There is _nothing_ wrong with you. They were the screwed up ones. Abused women often stay with the abuser. I've seen in over and over in my line of work. There _is_ something broken in them. Something that won't let them leave. Your mom was broken, too, Sam. And you, unfortunately, were a casualty. But you, Samantha Gibbs, are _not _broken. You are stronger than most adults I know, and you've been through worse than more people will ever experience in a life time. Can't you see, Sam, how much everyone loves you? I get emails from your teachers all the time about how smart and sweet you are. You have more friends than I can keep track of. Everyone at NCIS is wrapped around your little finger. They listen to you more than me. And that never happens. Heck, Sam, even Vance is under your spell and Vance doesn't like anyone. Does that sound like someone who is unlovable?" Sam's eyes continued to water. "And just in case you need to hear it again, I absolutely adore you, daughter."

Sammie nodded and smiled. "I love you too, Daddy," she said as she barreled into him for a hug.

After a few minutes, Gibbs cleared his throat. "Now, about this grounding….I couldn't quite decide what to do about you because you really messed up. But then you came to me, told me the truth, and tried to make it right. I'm real proud of that and as you get older, I want you to know you can come to me with anything. So this is what we are going to do. No friends for a month. No phone for a month, unless it's to text me or another adult who is taking care of you or giving you a ride home. I'll trust you to be honest on that. I want you to visit autopsy and look at some files Ducky has from drunk driving accidents. Three days a week after school at NCIS. Two you get to come home. We will still do fun things together cause I don't want to miss out on family time with you. Fair?"

Sammie knew she was getting off easy. "Fair," she smiled.

"Oh, one more thing," he said and Sammie looked a little nervous. "Friday night you'll be attending the Pumpkin Festival with Abby and me. You'll buy lots of pumpkins, and then the three of us will come back and carve them."

"See? Now I _know_ you love me if you're willing to carry an armload of pumpkins around a festival all night!" she winked.

Sammy had just turned 15 when the dynamic at NCIS changed for her father. He had just put a new team into place. He was proud of them and convinced that they were the right people for the job, but he often came home complaining about having to train them. Sammie noticed that he needed a few minutes at home to get back into a good mood after being at work. His team was young, ranging from 21-23. It was unprecedented, but each member had a unique way that they came to be at NCIS, and each was handpicked by Gibbs. Sammie had yet to meet any of them. Gibbs had asked her to stay away for a few weeks so he could keep his team focused.

Gibbs came in and slammed the door. "Let me guess," Sammie teased. "DiNozzo again?"

Gibbs scowl quickly changed into a smirk. "Good guess, Sammie girl."

She sighed and made her face into a pout, "Daddy, can't I please come to NCIS? I promise I won't be distraction. I want to meet these people!"

He wanted to relent. "I don't know, Sam. While I'm training them, I have to be…firm."

Sam snorted. "And how is that different than your usual work demeanor?"

Gibbs looked surprised for a second and then chuckled. "It's different. Trust me. I have to be hard on them, teach them to push themselves further than they thought they could. If they see me in Dad mode, I'm afraid they won't take me seriously."

"What if I call you Gibbs and don't hug you?" Sammie teased.

Gibbs capitulated, "I have wanted you to meet Ziva. I know how much you love training with people, and you could learn a lot from her."

"See? What could go wrong?" she wiggled her eyebrows.

"Fine. But _don't_ encourage DiNozzo's childish antics," he warned.

"I'd never dream of it. I'm the one who has to live with the bear the rest of the evening," she teased.

He knew there was some truth to it. "I'm sorry kiddo. I know I've been rough the last month. I just want these kids fully trained. Don't like feeling like someone could make a serious mistake on my watch."

"I know, Dad. And I know it's all about catching the bad guys. Your job is serious. I get it," she assured him.

"Not more important than you, though. I'll try harder to leave work at work, Sam," he promised. "Come on in tomorrow after school," he said. "But just know that things are running a little more seriously right now. And I'm under a lot of pressure. Vance is breathing down my neck cause I put it on the line to hire such young recruits. But they're good, Sam. The best I've seen in a long time."

"You'll figure it out, Gibbs. You only have to be there about five minutes to see that you're the most respected and feared guy in the building. You earned that respect for a reason. You're good. You followed your gut and I don't think it's ever let you down so far, has it?" she said.

Gibbs realized how nice it was to have someone to talk to. He hadn't opened up to anyone since Shannon and Kelly passed. Told himself he liked being alone. But having a listening ear was comforting. It sounded exactly like something Shannon would've told him when he was doubting himself.

The next day Sammie strode into the bullpen after school. She tossed her backpack in the corner and looked for a place to sit. She wasn't used to all the desks being in use. She shrugged and settled behind her dad's desk. She was just pulling some homework out when a handsome young man in suit came around the corner and stopped short.

"Hey kid, I don't know who you are, but trust me, you don't want to sit at that desk," the young guy said seriously.

She held back and grin and stared at him with her piercing blue eyes. This had to be DiNozzo. Her dad had described him perfectly.

"Wow. That's some stare you got there kid…reminds me of…Oh hey boss! Didn't see you behind me," he said nervously.

Sammie's eyes lit up and she allowed her smile to come full force as Gibbs came up and kissed her on the top of the head. "Hi, Daddy."

"Hey kiddo. How was school?" he asked.

"Good. Who's the new guy?" she pretended she didn't know. Gibbs made introductions as Ziva and McGee came into the bullpen.

"Let me get this straight," DiNozzo said, "Gibbs has a….Gibblet? I mean, the eyes match. And definitely the stare…"

Ziva stepped forward. "It is very nice to meet you, Sammie." McGee was less confident but also introduced himself. DiNozzo, however, couldn't seem to put it to rest.

"So…Gibblet…how old are you?" he quizzed.

"It's Sammie. Or Sam. But definitely not Gibblet," she teased. "I'm 15."

Gibbs mentioned to Ziva that Sammie would like to spar with her. "Oh! This I've got to see!" Tony interjected. "Sorry, Gibblet, but my money is on Ziva. She's basically a death ninja."

Ziva cut in quietly, "I'd be happy to spar with you, Sammie. Will you be here tomorrow after school?"

"I can be," Sammie said somewhat shyly. "If you're sure you have time."

"I will make time," Ziva said in her confident way. Then she looked uncertain, "That is, if it is alright with you, Gibbs."

He shrugged, "We all have to put in a certain amount of gym time per week. Long as we don't get a case, it's fine by me."

Sammie smiled, "It's a date."

"Uh, boss? Can I take gym time tomorrow afternoon, too?" DiNozzo had to try. Gibbs only stared at him and didn't even dignify it with an answer. Sammie was amused to see her dad acting this way.

About that time a call came in. Gibbs took Ziva and DiNozzo with him and left McGee to look for numbers and bank account info that might be pertinent to the case. Sammie got bored after an hour and asked McGee if she could help. He clearly didn't know what to do. Should he say no to the boss' daughter? "I uh, don't know if Boss will want me sharing information with you, Sammie," he said kindly. "I'm sorry."

"It's ok, McGee," she smiled at his big brother tone. "My dad has let me help before, for the record. But if you're not comfortable with it, I understand."  
Tim stared at her. Was this sweet, beautiful girl really Gibbs' daughter? How could someone so gruff produce someone so…_nice._ "Well, ok. If you want to help me cross-reference these numbers, you can highlight this," he began to explain.

Two hours passed and Sammie and Tim found a lead. They also had time to get to know each other. "My dad really likes you," Sammie said.

"He does?" McGee seemed so surprised that Sammie felt a little bad for him.

"Yup. He says your mind never stops moving. And he means it as a compliment," she winked.

Tim let out a big sigh. "Wow. Thanks, Sammie. That's nice to hear. The last month has been…trying."

Sammie winked, "Don't worry. He's nicer than he seems."

The team came in a few minutes later. "What've you got, McGee?" Gibbs barked. Sammie saw McGee visibly jump at his tone. He nervously shared the lead they'd found. Gibbs nodded. "That's good work, McGee," he said.

"Actually, Boss, it was Sammie's idea that lead us to it," McGee bravely said.

"Gibblet found that?" DiNozzo said incredulously.

"Just because I'm young, doesn't mean I'm an idiot," she said.

"Good work, Sammie," Gibbs ignored DiNozzo. "Ok. What do we know so far?" They grouped around the large screen and Ziva and Tony began to share their intel so far. Sammie was impressed. They were good. Even DiNozzo was good when he was focused. Tim used logic and technology. Ziva used force. But DiNozzo used his gut, just like her Daddy. It wasn't long before they had a suspect to pull in.

Gibbs sighed, "I'm sorry, Sammie but this could be an all-nighter. I'm gonna have to take you home." Sammie knew better than to try to stay. Her father never, ever took her to crime scenes. She had friends who knew their situation and would let her spend the night when needed. "I'll be back in 30," he told his team.

They got in the car and Sammie said, "I like them, Daddy. I think they're gonna be part of the team for a long time."

Gibbs smiled, "So do I."

"I know DiNozzo is annoying, but he's good," she said. "He follows his gut like you. I think he's just trying too hard to play it cool."

"Tell me about it," Gibbs groused. "The kid grates on everyone's nerves with his incessant jokes."

"He's kinda funny, though," Sammie said. Gibbs didn't answer and she said, "Admit it dad."

"On occasion I have wanted to smile," Gibbs admitted.

"If nothing else, he'll keep things interesting," she said.

"_That_ is an understatement," Gibbs agreed.

Sammie appeared after school the next day for her appointment with Ziva. "Hey Ziva! You still have time to spar?"

"I do. I am all caught up for now," she said.

The two went to the gym and Ziva said, "Why don't we start by having you show me what you know so far?"

Sammie did and Ziva said, "I am impressed, Samantha. You are very capable for one so young. I think you could pass the agent tests here already."

Sammie quirked her brows. "Really?"

"Really," Ziva said. "Who has been teaching you?"

"Well, mostly my dad. But then I think I was too afraid of hurting him so I held back. So he let me practice down here with people. Agents are busy, so finding a free partner was a plus to get their hours in. I got lots of practice. But I get the feeling that they're all holding back too, because they know I'm a Gibbs. If they hurt me, they would have to face my dad. So I feel like I haven't gotten any better."

Ziva spoke quietly. "My father was also a man who was in charge of things, Sammie. If you want to get better, I will push you and I will not hold back."

Sammie knew she had found an instant friend. "Then let's do this!"

When Gibbs walked in, his heart skipped a beat to find Sammie being flipped through the air by the Mossad agent and pinned to the ground. He knew that pin and arm twist was painful. He was just opening his mouth to give David a dressing down when Sammie hopped up, her smile bigger than it had been in a long time. "Hey Dad! Am I taking too much of Ziva's time? I'm sorry. I haven't had this much fun in forever. Everyone else down here treats me with kid gloves."

Gibbs knew why. He had ordered it. But maybe he hadn't been doing Sam any favors. He bit back his irritation with Ziva and said, "Show me what you got."

Sammie worked hard and he knew she would be sore tomorrow, but he had to admit that Ziva was good. "Good work, girls," he said as he left. "David I need you back."

Ziva smiled for the first time when he was gone. "It is hard for a father to think his daughter might be hurt, yes?"

Sammie rolled her eyes. "Yes. But he tries to hide it cause he knows it'll make me mad."

Ziva laughed. "Three times a week? I will wait to work out until you are off of school."

Sammie looked at her with a bit of hero worship in her eyes and Ziva smirked. "Do not get too excited Sammie. If you are going to train with me, you are going to hurt."

Sammie fell into an easy rhythm with Gibbs' team and Gibbs had to admit that he liked the way they included her. She didn't interfere with cases, but sometimes she popped her head up from her homework and offered a suggestion. A few times, those suggestions were exactly what they needed. McGee was shy but Sammie knew he'd do anything for her. Ziva pushed her hard but was also willing to hang out with her when they weren't training. Tony teased her mercilessly, but he had finally met his match. Sam could dish anything he could give. The two of them drove Gibbs crazy sometimes.

"If you two don't shut up and get to work, I'm gonna knock both of your heads together," he would say often.

"Yes, Boss," was Tony's standard reply. But when Gibbs wasn't looking he would quickly lower one eye in a wink at Sammie. One day she giggled and her dad whipped back around and stared a hole through both of them.

"You need to go home, Sam, so we can focus?" he growled.

"Probably. But so do you, Dad. I'm starving and you haven't made it home for dinner once this week," she reminded him.

He made a growling noise but said, "DiNozzo, finish up this paper work by tomorrow morning. Sam, give me ten and then we will head home."

Ziva and McGee smirked at Tony, glad they were not given the all-night assignment. Tony sighed and for the first time Sam saw his real thoughts on his face. She waited till the others were gone before sitting on the floor next to the filing cabinet and next to Tony.

"What'd you do to piss him off Tony? Besides the normal," she clarified.

"I risked myself on the field today. It was dangerous. I was trying too hard," he said.

"Rule number 1. Never put yourself in unnecessary danger. At least that's Dad's number one rule for me," she said.

"Yeah. It's one of his top ten for us, too." Tony rubbed his hair for a minute and looked completely dejected. "I've been here for months, and the guy still hates me. Certainly made it worse today. I don't know if this is gonna work, being at NCIS. Really wanted it to…" he trailed off, realizing who he was confiding in. The smooth veneer was back as he said, "Oh don't worry about it, Gibblet. I'm sure I'll win him over. Who could resist this charm?"

Sammie rolled her eyes. "Lots of people, Tony. Look,_ don't_ tell my dad I told you this, but he thinks you're a really good agent. You were right before, though. You're trying too hard to make him like you. Just be yourself. That's the guy he handpicked and fought to have on his team. The confident young officer who followed his gut. Not some smooth-talking hero."

"I guess I feel like if I just sit back and work, he won't notice me. Not with Ninja Girl and Brainiac 2000 over there," Tony sighed.

"And do you really want to be noticed as a goof off? He trusts your instincts, Tony. And if you'll just dial it back a little, when you _do_ have something important to say, he will listen," Sam said.

"Hey, aren't I supposed to be the big brother who gives you the pep talk?" Tony winked.

"Then we'll say you owe me one," Sam leaned her head against his shoulder till Gibbs walked back in.

"Napping on the job, DiNozzo?" he asked.

"No, Boss. Just checking these files down here," he said quietly and more seriously than he had been in a while. Gibbs raised his eyebrows and nodded. "Ok. See you tomorrow, DiNozzo."

Sammie turned and gave him a thumbs up behind Gibbs' back as they headed toward the elevator.

By Saturday, Sammie had a plan. "Dad, I want you to ask Tony to bring a file to the house."

"What? Why?" Gibbs looked at her like she was crazy.

"Because you're going to have him drop it by around game time and he's going to walk in to see us watching the game and eating pizza. And then…you're going to invite him to stay," she said.

"Like heck I am, Sam. I need a couple days a week to recover from a week of DiNozzo." Gibbs growled.

"Dad, I saw a side of him the other day that he hasn't let you see. Tony isn't nearly as confident as he seems. The whole smooth guy thing is just a front. He…he opened up to me," Sam said quietly.

"What'd he say?" Gibbs wondered if the young agent was trying to manipulate him through Sammie.

"I don't want to violate his trust, Dad," she said. "He didn't mean to say it and he was embarrassed after. But I'll just say that he truly thinks you hate him. He said he didn't know if he would be around NCIS very long. Thinks you're gonna can him. And then I kinda peaked at his desk when he wasn't around and…"

"Sam. You know that's not ok!" Gibbs said.

"I saw a resume peeking out of a pile of papers. Like he better have it ready. He loves it here, Dad. And I just think if maybe you two could hang out away from the office and the pressure, you might get to know the real Tony."

Gibbs sighed and dialed DiNozzo. If DiNozzo minded being called in on a Saturday to do a simple file delivery, he didn't show it. Gibbs would give him that. Answered on the first ring, too. When the kid arrived, Gibbs could see him fairly salivating over the pizza. Gibbs flinched internally as he said, "You have a minute, DiNozzo? Want some pizza? You wanna watch the game?"

Tony blinked twice, nonplussed. "You…You're letting me in your house?" slipped out before he could stop it.

Gibbs noted to himself that Sammie was right. He'd been too hard on the boy. Maybe DiNozzo needed to be handled a little differently than his other new agents.

"Don't have to, Tony. But you're welcome," Gibbs said again.

Sammie came around the corner and smiled, "DiNozzo! Want some pizza?"

Sammie seemed to be the ice breaker he needed. Tony looked back and forth between the Gibbs and said, "Sure. I have a few minutes."

A few minutes turned into a few hours and Gibbs found that Tony was much less grating in a low-pressure situation. Even the good-natured ribbing between Sammie and Tony was almost sweet when he wasn't trying to find a murderer. Gibbs suddenly realized what the problem was. When Tony was a cop, he wasn't trying to impress Gibbs. He had been confident, and that drew Gibbs to him. And he wasn't trying to impress him now. The boy had been desperately craving his approval all this time. From what he read in Tony's file, it seemed he hadn't been given much his entire life.

When the game was over, Tony stood and helped clean up, then looked embarrassed. "Didn't realize it had been so long," he said.

"Not a problem," Gibbs answered. "Thanks for bringing the file on a Saturday."

Tony looked surprised at the kind words but simply nodded his response. Before he left he made sure to pull Sam's ponytail out, causing her to yell at him as he threw her scrunchie across the room. "Bye, Gibblet."

Gibbs noticed that DiNozzo calmed down after that. Oh, he was still Tony. And Tony was a lot. But he seemed more secure with his place on the team. And the resume was no longer on his desk. Gibbs also noticed that Tony often appeared on his doorstep with things that didn't really need to be brought by. It usually happened right around dinner time. Gibbs only rolled his eyes and invited Tony in. He already had a place set for him, anyway.

Gibbs, Sammie and Tony were watching the game one Saturday while Sammie did her homework.

"What're you working on, Gibblet?" Tony asked.

"Advanced Chem," she scrunched up her nose. "Not my strong point. I may have to see if Abs or McGee can help me again. I'd much rather be writing, as you know," her eyes widened as she said it and Tony gave her a 'look' to stop talking.

Gibbs was enjoying this. He sat up straight and said, "And why, Sammie, would DiNozzo know that you like to write?"

"Hmmm?" she said.

Gibbs knew she wouldn't lie to him. "Why did you say it like that, and why does DiNozzo look like his eyes are gonna pop out of his head?"

Sammie straightened up. "I plead the fifth."

"Doesn't work in my house," he said quickly. Sammie could see that even though his mouth was a straight line, there was a twinkle in his eye.

"Then I want to lawyer up," she teased back.

"Rule number #43. Never involve a lawyer," Gibbs said evenly.

Tony sighed, "Boss, don't get mad at Sammie. I kinda…bribed her to help me write my reports. I mean, I told her everything but she did the actual writing. Put some finesse into it, ya know? And I mean, it's working cause it's the first time you didn't give it back to me to do over so…"

Gibbs slapped him hard on the back of his head. "Ya think, DiNozzo? You can't let a 15-year-old write papers for a federal agency! I'm sure that breaks some kind of law. If I ever find anyone but YOU writing those reports again, DiNozzo, you will be buried under a mountain of paperwork so high, you won't be able to see anyone else on the team for weeks while you ride desk duty. Am I clear?"

"Crystal, Boss," Tony said quietly. He hated making Gibbs mad but if all he got was a warning, he felt like he'd gotten off pretty easy. He'd never thought about it being slightly illegal.

Gibbs turned to Sammie. "And you! You are NOT a federal agent! I know I let you sit around while we work, but Samantha, you can NOT be touching any legal documents. Is that understood?" Sammie nodded. Gibbs calmed down and shook his head. "Just what did you get out of this deal, Sam?"

She smiled wickedly. "Tony let me beat him up once a week. And he had to buy me dinner afterwards."

"She didn't beat me up, per se, Boss. See, Gibblet, I told you not to go around saying that. I let you win," he said defensively.

"You _so_ didn't let me win, Tony! You were sweating like a pig!" she accused.

"Sam beat you at sparring, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked. He couldn't resist the chance to rib DiNozzo a bit. When Tony didn't answer, he knew that either he was very convincing at letting Sam win, or she had in fact beaten him. "Sounds like you need practice. You and I will be going head to head once a week this month."

Tony sighed. "Honestly, Boss, I'm not sure which Gibbs I'm more afraid of."

Sammie snorted and Gibbs said, "Now I'm curious, Sam. I wanna see what you've learned."

"You won't go easy on me?" Sammie's eyes were shining.

"Not if you don't want me to," he said seriously. "But I'll drop you quick if I don't go easy, Sam. I _am_ a Marine."

"Challenge accepted," she smiled confidently. When Gibbs saw Tony grinning from ear to ear, he knew that he hadn't let Sammie win at all.

After Tony left, Gibbs found Sammie still doing homework.

"I ever tell you how proud I am of you, Sam?" Gibbs asked.

She looked up with surprise. "For what?"

"Well, lots of things, but tonight I was thinking about how smart you are. I'm used hanging out all day with people in MENSA, MIT grads, people with more letters after their names than I care to remember. I guess I take smarts for granted sometimes. But at 16, you can hold your own with that group. People like having you around. You make straight A's in advanced classes. Probably don't tell you enough what a good job you do. I was really impressed with DiNozzo's reports. Should've realized something was up. Truth is, Sam, if the system was working for you, I wouldn't have even cared. But I can't allow it because of the legality of it. That could come crashing down on our heads fast. DiNozzo should've known that. Now that you do, I don't want you doing it again."

"Ok, Dad," she said.

"But you're smart, Sam. And you're going to go places someday," he winked at her.

"Thanks, Daddy," she said.

They sat down to watch one more sitcom before bed. On the episode, the father found his teenage daughter making out with a boy and flipped out. Sammie looked at Gibbs to see his reaction. About the fifth time he felt her eyes on him, he paused the show.

"What?" he said.

She didn't even pretend not to know what he was asking. "Would you be mad if I was doing that?"

For once, Gibbs didn't know what to say. The thought of Sammie and some boy… "Wouldn't like it. At all," he said.

"Why not?" she asked.

"You're too young, Sam," he said quietly.

"I don't know, Daddy. A lot of my friends are sleeping with boys now, and I overheard the team talking about their first times at work, and they weren't much older than I am. Well, Abby wasn't. And Tony was-"

"STOP!" Gibbs didn't want to know. "You have friends who are _sleeping_ with boys?" he clarified.

She shrugged, "Yeah. It seems like that's the next part of growing up. But then on TV I see parents are always mad about their kids doing…._that_ and I just wondered what your take was on it."

Gibbs forced himself to remain calm. His teenage daughter had initiated an honest, open conversation with him about sex. If he ever wanted to be able to talk with her in the future, he had to play it cool. Tomorrow, he would berate his team for talking about this in front of her. Maybe he would take away their chairs for the day…He shook himself back to the present and really looked into Sammie's earnest blue eyes.

"Oh man," she said. "I know that look. You're hard to read, but I've seen this look before. It's when you're trying to be calm but you really want to freak out."

Gibbs' mouth quirked up on one side. "Well, kinda. I guess I just didn't think you were old enough to be making decisions that could affect you for the rest of your life. I realize that you're no kid, Sammie. But you're not grown, either. Fifteen probably feels old to you, but it's very, very young."

Sammie rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "But all my friends-"

He cut her off quickly on that one. "Doesn't matter, Sam. They're not you. And it's not their hearts I'm worried about getting broken."

"Why do you automatically think I'd get my heart broken?" she looked skeptical.

"Because I've yet to meet a high school boy who knew how to properly treat a woman," he said matter-of-factly. "It's different for boys, Sam. For them, it's a conquest. It's something to brag about. And most of the time, the boy is much more interested in the sex than in getting to know _you._ And you, Samantha Gibbs, are worth more than that. I want someone to love you, know how your incredible mind works, and value your enormous heart. I don't want you to be reduced to locker room bragging about what happened in the back seat of some boy's car. And I certainly don't want you pregnant or sick with and STD in high school."

"None of your agents waited very long, Gibbs," Sam argued with him.

"And I would suggest that none of them understand what true love is, either," he said quietly. "They all come from difficult homes and none of them have had a steady relationship since I've known them. Not knocking them. But again, kiddo, I want better for you."

"How old were you when you decided to…you know," Sam asked.

Gibbs debated sharing such personal information with her. But if it could keep her from making a mistake, he would have the uncomfortable conversation. "I was actually 20. And it was with Shannon. I waited until I was in love. And I don't regret it. Never heard anyone who regretted waiting, actually. Only heard of people regretting moving too soon. But I'll tell ya, Sam, after Shannon died, I was with plenty of women and it wasn't the same. It should be about love, Sam. Especially your first time. That's what I would want for you."

Sam thought about that for a while and said, "I hear you dad. And I really didn't think I was ready. I just wanted to know what you thought about it all."

"I wonder if I can ask you to make me a promise, Sammie. You may not be comfortable with this promise, so I want you to think about it. I don't know if it's entirely fair to you, so if you can't do it, I understand," he said vulnerably.

Sammie waited and said, "Shoot, Dad."

"I wonder if you'd talk to me again about this when you think you might be getting ready. For one, I want to make sure you're as safe as possible. For two, I just want to make sure you're thinking clearly. I won't get upset. And I won't fight with you. I just want to know where your head is at on such a big matter. Would you be up for that?" he said tentatively.

Sammie didn't hesitate. "Sure, Dad. I'm not there yet. I just wanted to talk to you about it. I'll let you know if something changes. Promise."

Gibbs let out a breath he'd been holding. Sammie hadn't broken a promise to him yet. She was safe for now.

Sammie headed to bed, but Gibbs found that sleep did not come easily for him that night.

The late night, combined with his frustration at his team for discussing such delicate topics in front of Sammie, made for a very touchy Gibbs the next morning. He started off by calling his team into the elevator and delivering a startling head slap to each one.

"Ow! Boss! What was that for!" McGee said indignantly.

"I could not have possibly done anything today to make you so angry, Gibbs," Ziva said.

Tony was uncharacteristically quiet.

"What was that for?" he growled. "For telling my daughter what happened when you were SIXTEEN in the back of an airport hangar, David. And for bragging, DiNozzo, about what you did when you were FIFTEEN. And McGee, I don't care if you were older. WHY WERE YOU TELLING SAMMIE ABOUT THIS?"

The three were silent for a minute when DiNozzo spoke up. He truly looked sorry. "Boss. I didn't realize Gibblet was listening. I don't even remember her being there."

The others looked just as confused. Then Ziva spoke up, "I do not understand why Sammie would tell you these things, Gibbs, even if she were listening."

Gibbs rubbed his temples. "She didn't do it to tattle. It slipped. She was trying to prove that she was old enough to…"

DiNozzo's temper flared, "To what, Boss? Is Sammie?! She is NOT old enough to…to…"

Ziva smield, "Tony, NOW you get shy about human sexuality?"

DiNozzo and Gibbs turned to her and growled at the same time, "Do NOT talk about Sammie and sexuality!" Gibbs was surprised at how protective DiNozzo was acting.

Ziva raised her hands and pretended to zip her lips.

"What was she supposed to take away from the conversation, DiNozzo, when you clowns were all telling your stories?" Gibbs said shortly.

"Hey, I didn't know the kid was listening. I'd like to have a few words with her about eavesdropping AND about boys," DiNozzo looked like a man on a mission.

"You won't." Gibbs said sternly. "None of you will say a word. Sammie confided in me. We had a good conversation and I got her head on straight. Just watch what you say around an impressionable kid, guys."

They nodded and all looked equally embarrassed over Gibb's knowing about their first times. He moved to push the lever and said, "Wait. Maybe that's not entirely fair to ask you. I don't want you to feel like you're babysitters. If it would be easier, I can tell Sammie not to come…"

"No!" they all three said in unison.

"We love Sammie like a sister," Ziva said quietly. "We will be more careful, Gibbs."

With that, Gibbs flipped the switch and the team was forgiven.

A couple hours later, Tim said, "Uh Boss! I think you're gonna want to see this."

Gibbs went over to Tim's computer and Tony saw his eyes bug out of his head. Tony couldn't resist. He had to see what they looking at.

"WHAT!?" he exclaimed. "Is that Gibblet?!"

"That's her, alright," Tim said seriously.

In a moment, all of them were crowded around the screen, watching the news interview Sammie. A video that a passerby had taken played over and over of a man trying to take Sammie's purse while she was shopping with a friend. Instead of letting the purse go, Sammie engaged the larger man and put him on this stomach with her knee in his back in no time. It took exactly 30 minutes before the video went viral and the news got wind of the story. Gibbs had to admit that the footage of a young girl deftly taking down a grown man was captivating. If it weren't Sammie in that video, he would've been laughing.

"Fifteen-Year-Old Girl Fights Off Would-Be Purse Snatcher," the headline read. It was clear that Sammie was caught unaware by the reporters, but she still spoke to them.

"Young lady, where did you learn to fight like that?" the reporter asked.

Sammie blushed, "My father made sure that I learned how to defend myself."

Gibbs let out a breath. He had warned her about telling people what he did for a living. It could make her a target.

"He will probably be very proud when he sees this video, huh?" the reporter asked.

Sammie looked a little unsure, "Well, he'll probably tell me that I should've just given him the purse and that no purse is worth my life," she laughed. "But he's always proud of me, no matter what."

Gibbs heart swelled. His Sam sure had come a long way.

The interview was just ending when Sam stepped off the elevator. Apparently, it hadn't been live. "Hi guys," she said a little uncertainly.

Gibbs just stared at her. Ziva smiled and walked over to give her a high five. McGee was Switzerland. And Tony was glaring.

Sammie cleared her throat. "I wasn't showboating. I promise. It was just instinct. It's been drilled into me not to let the bad guys get away."

"Could've been hurt, Sam," Gibbs said quietly.

"But now he won't hurt anyone else," she defended. Vance had joined the conversation by this point. He wouldn't have wanted Kayla to do what Sammie had, but he had to admit that the video was impressive. So was the way Sammie was standing her ground. He bit back a smile. It was nice to see Gibbs have to deal with a miniature version of himself. A taste of his own medicine.

Gibbs walked over to Sammie and gave her a respectably hard head slap. She looked hurt for a moment, but then he leaned down and said, "You are _not_ a federal agent. How many times do I have to remind you of that?" Sammie understood then that her dad wasn't truly angry. It had been dumb, but he was also a little proud.

Tony still hadn't said a word. When Gibbs gave Sammie her space, DiNozzo said, "That's it? I don't think so. Sammie, with me!" he motioned for her to follow him down the hall to the interrogation room.

Sammie looked at Gibbs in surprise. Gibbs just shrugged and said, "I guess you better go see what he wants."

Tony slammed the door. "Sit," he barked. Sam had never seen him like this. At least not towards her.

"What were you thinking?" he yelled.

Gibbs was willing to give Tony some head but was watching in the other room to see exactly what the young man was doing. Tony and Sammie argued for the better part of ten minutes before Tony slapped the table with his hand.

"It was stupid, Sammie! Stupid! It's just a bag! What if the guy had a gun? Or a knife? Did you think of that?" Tony yelled.

Sammie shook her head. Clearly neither thought had occurred to her.

"We are trained agents and we CARRY WEAPONS, Sammie. You do not. How incredibly irresponsible can you be? You don't put yourself at risk!" he yelled.

"Well THAT is rich!" Sammie gave as good as she got. "YOU'RE ONE TO TALK."

Tony held up his hands and shook his head. "I'm too upset. I can't talk to you anymore."

Sammie began to cry then and said, "Tony, I didn't think about the weapons. I saw a bad guy and I got him. That's all. I'll be more careful in the future. I promise."

"I hope, so Sam. Cause next time you might not walk away with a cute video and five minutes of fame. You might not walk away at all." With that, Tony left the room and left Sammie crying at the table. As he stalked down the hall, Gibbs' arm reached out of the viewing room and snatched Tony inside.

"Bit hard on her, weren't you?" he motioned toward Sam, still crying at the table.

"Someone had to be." Tony's challenge was obvious.

"Are you a parent, DiNozzo?" Gibbs' voice was steely.

DiNozzo looked down, "No, Boss."

"Did you think I was done talking to Sammie?" Gibbs asked. DiNozzo had the good grace to look a little embarrassed. "Took me a few months to realize you don't raise a kid like you raise an agent, Tony," Gibbs said. "Yelling at Sammie just heaps guilt on her. The first ten years of her life, nobody did anything _but_ yell at her."

DiNozzo sighed, "Sammie is so much like you, I forget sometimes about her past."

"Well I can't afford to make that mistake. I've had to coax her along like a wounded animal just to get her to trust me. Believe me, I don't let her run over me, but yelling like you just did doesn't teach her anything. Only makes her feel like you don't love her," Gibbs said.

"I'll make it right, Boss," Tony felt awful.

"Please do," Gibbs said. "But Tony? Thanks for caring about her so much. It's good to know she has family."

Tony nodded and his eyes lit. Gibbs knew that Sam and Tony both grew up without affection. They had more in common than they knew. Tony liked being part of the family. He needed to belong.

Gibbs watched as Tony strode back into the room, stood Sammie up, and hugged her for a long time. Sammie buried her face in his shirt and cried some more. Gibbs left. It might take some time, but those two would be ok.

Sammie was surprised that her dad didn't have more to say about the incident. He figured DiNozzo covered it all. Sammie could tell that even though he was concerned, he was also kind of proud. All he said was that since she wanted to be an agent so badly, she could spend some time in the NCIS basement sorting files for the week. Sammie rolled her eyes but she was smiling.

She was surprised to see Kayla Vance there, too. Kayla was _not_ smiling. "I can't believe my dad is making me do this!" she fumed.

"What'd you do?" Sammie asked.

"Went over on my cell phone bill. He wants me to learn the value of a dollar and make some extra money," she said in her best Vance voice.

Sammie laughed, "Well hey, at least you're getting paid. I'm here to learn a lesson from my video gone viral."

"I was totally amazing, by the way," Kayla said.

"Thank you," Sammie did a mock bow.

They worked for a few minutes before Kyla sighed and said, "I'm gonna take a break and go to the coffee shop. Wanna come?"  
Sammie looked at her like she was crazy. "Uh, no. Gibbs would kill me and I'm guessing your dad isn't paying you to get coffee…"

Kayla rolled her eyes. "Come on, Sammie! Live a little! Are you always such a goody-two shoes?"

Sammie shrugged, unconcerned. "Maybe? I don't know. I don't like disappointing my father."  
Kyla looked at her like she'd sprouted another head. "Why? My dad has no clue what it's like to be a kid now. He's so out of touch. The whole agent thing makes him think he can order me around like one of his little minions here. And he's so old-fashioned. All these guys are. I may as well have fun when I can."

Sammie looked very serious for a moment and put her files down. "I think it's all about perspective, Kayla. I don't know how much you know about me…I don't like to talk about it much but…When you guys complain about your dads being terrible, I actually _know_ what it's like to have a dad who is terrible. I have something to compare it to. You don't. I guess I've seen the dark side and it's a whole lot worse than a strict dad or whatever. It's hiding in a closet, hoping he won't come back with his belt another time. It's wondering if he'll ever stop hitting you or if he will kill you this time. It's listening to him say awful things and trying not to believe him. So when Gibbs adopted me, it took me about five seconds to realize that I had it pretty good. And believe it or not, you do too, Kayla. Vance loves you. It's just perspective. And since I know what it's like to have a dad who literally _never_ tries, I cut Gibbs some slack when I don't like his decision because I know he tries hard to do the right thing for me. I have to believe that your dad does too, Kayla."

Kayla sat there for a moment before saying, "Wow. I didn't know. I'm really sorry, Sam. I think I get it now, why you are so devoted to Gibbs. I'm sorry I was giving you a hard time."

Sam shrugged, "I'm a big girl. It's ok."

Kayla went back to filing but both girls were quiet for a time. Sammie noticed though, that when Vance came to collect her, Kayla gave him a hug and a smile that she hadn't had when he dropped her off. Vance turned and winked at Sammie before they left.

Gibbs came to collect Sam about thirty minutes later. "Sorry, Sammie. Didn't mean to leave you down here all night."

"That's ok, but I do have a lot of homework," she said.

"From now on just an hour a day of filing, ok?" Gibbs said. "I should've made that clear from the start."

He leaned over and kissed the top of Sammie's head as they were leaving. "What was that for?" she asked.

"Rule #19. Cameras are everywhere at NCIS," he pointed to the corners. "Vance was worried about Kayla. He brought her in cause he thought you might be a good influence for her to work with. But he was listening in to make sure she wouldn't blow it. He told me what you said," Gibbs winked.

Sammie blushed. "Eavesdropper."

Gibbs crooked his eyebrow, "I learned from the master."

Sammie had a massive sleepover for her 16th birthday, followed by a NCIS family barbeque. By the end of the weekend, Gibbs was worn out, but he didn't get any rest. Sammie wanted to get her license right away, and she wouldn't stop pestering him until she did. The first time she pulled out of the driveway alone, Gibbs thought he might be having his first panic attack. Sammie was responsible, though, and soon Gibbs was able to admit to himself that having Sammie able to drive was a huge help to him.

Gibbs noticed that Sammie was enjoying her independence, and he had to admit that he missed her as she spent more time with friends and school activities. But she always kept Sundays open without being asked. As long as they had their Sunday, he wouldn't complain.

He'd been particularly busy with a case that just wouldn't let him rest. Three college-age girls assaulted and then strangled in the last two months. All daughters of Navy personnel. All done in the exact same way. They were somewhere public, like a concert or bar. Walked out to find their car window smashed. When they got closer to the car to investigate, the attacker made his move and drug them away. That was as far as they had gotten. Gibbs thought his head might explode from trying to find a lead.

He found himself alone again on this Friday, since Sam said she'd be gone to a friend's house all night. He decided some boat time would clear his mind when his phone rang. DiNozzo was calling him at 10 pm? Must be the case. He flipped his phone open.

"Boss, I'm headed down to the 700 block of B street. Not far from where our last suspect was found. Ziva is with me. McGee couldn't come," DiNozzo sounded panicked.

"Why, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked in frustrated confusion.

The line was quiet for a minute and then Ziva took the phone. "Gibbs. Do not freak out."

Gibbs growled, "Spit it out, David."

"Samantha texted the team and told us she was going to a concert on B street tonight. She told us her phone would be on and that she would be safe. She just wanted us to know where she was. We are not comfortable with her being there. We know she thinks of us as cool older siblings who won't embarrass her, and I appreciate that she was trying to be responsible enough to let us know of her location, but we cannot let her go alone, Gibbs," David said.

"Ziver, will you put DiNozzo on?"

"Boss? I'll get her. We should be there in fifteen minutes," Tony said.

Gibbs knew it would take him at least 45 with the weekend traffic. "Thanks, Tony. Let me know as soon as you've got her."

Tony sighed "Boss. There's one more call you're gonna need to make."

Gibbs didn't know how much more he could take. "She's with Kayla Vance."

Gibbs groaned as he hung up with Tony and dialed Vance's number. He tried not to think about what a target two daughters of NCIS personnel would be for the killer. But he knew that he and Vance would both be pacing the floor for the next hour.

Tony called an hour later. "DiNozzo! What is taking so long?" Gibbs growled.

"Sorry, Boss. This place is a zoo. Took me forever to find them. Didn't help that they're dressed like _streetwalkers._" The way he emphasized the word, it was obvious that Tony said it for Sammie's hearing. "We got out and Sammie's windshield was smashed, Boss. We think she was a target. Can't leave the girls alone to look, though. Ziva and local LEO's are combing the area. McGee made it down. Killer is long gone by now, though. I'm dropping Kayla off and then I'll bring Sammie home. Her car is being towed to NCIS."

Gibbs was silent for a moment, digesting this information. If Tony and Ziva hadn't arrived…If Sammie had walked out of that club after the concert without them. He felt like he couldn't breathe for a moment. But all he said was, "Thanks, Tony. That's good work."

Gibbs had an hour to cool down before Tony and Sammie walked in the door. He could tell that Tony had been tearing into Sammie by the way he drug her to the kitchen table by the arm and the mascara lines trailing down her face. And Tony had been right. Gibbs had no idea where she had gotten the mini skirt, heels, and backless shirt she was wearing. That, combined with her heavy makeup and hair, made her look much older than her sixteen years.

Gibbs sat down at the table and quietly said, "What the hell were you thinking, Sam?"

Sammie looked her dad in the eyes for the first time and the disappointment, fear, and hurt she saw there was worse than any lecture Tony could've given her.

"It's my favorite band. We just wanted to dress up and have fun and hear them. I knew it was a dodgy neighborhood. That's why I sent the text. But I can take care of myself pretty good and I never dreamed…" she trailed off.

"You've heard me talk about the case!" Gibbs said a little louder than he meant to.

Sammie nodded. "I wasn't thinking about the case," she began. Gibbs cut her off.

"YOU WEREN'T THINKING AT ALL," he slammed the table with his fist.

Sammie jumped and flinched. It was the first time Gibbs had ever truly yelled at her. Tony saw what Gibbs had meant by the whole wounded animal thing. He stepped in.

"Boss, I know you and Gibblet need to have it out, but we have a new lead in the case here, and we're gonna have to question both girls formally to get statements. We need to get sketches, see what they remember, try to link them to the other victims," Tony faltered when he realized how close Sam had come to being another victim.

"Yeah. You're right, Tony. All victims were at a club or concert. All daughters of Navy personnel. Ages between 16-20. What's the link?" Gibbs said.

"None of them were 21 yet?" Sammie asked.

"No, why?" Tony asked.

"Then they all needed one of these to get in," Sammie threw her fake ID on the table.

"I wonder if the guy who sells them is the link? He's creepy. He calls himself 'Vulture' and you can't see his face. All communication is done through SnapChat and then he drops your ID at a predetermined place. I thought I was all just part of his 'thing' you know? Like the secrecy is what made him cool? But after I got my ID, he started following me on Insta. And Kayla. He knew where we were going. He asks what you want your ID for. Then we posted pics on Insta of where we were going to be. He knew just how to find us. Maybe he's the link."

Gibbs stood. "Tony, I need some time alone with Sammie and it's late. Call the team and Vance. Tell them what we've found. Let's start at 6 tomorrow morning."

"Yes, Boss," Tony nodded. He was still glaring at Sammie but he couldn't resist going to her and pulling her into a hug. He kissed her on the top of the head and said, "You were lucky tonight, Samantha."

She nodded. "Thanks for showing up, Tony. I'm sorry I yelled at you guys for embarrassing us."  
Tony tilted her chin up. "You did the right thing by leaving your phone on and telling someone where you were going. I heard Kayla telling you to shut it off so you couldn't get pinged. If you had…."

"Things could've ended a lot differently," Sam said quietly. "I know, Tony. Kayla was as scared as I was when she realized what could've happened. I think we both learned our lesson tonight."

"Oh, we aren't done with the lesson learning," Gibbs broke in.

"Night, Boss," Tony took his cue. "Good luck, Gibblet," he threw over his shoulder as he left.

Gibbs and Sam sat across from each other in silence for several minutes, the only sounds in the room the ticking of the clock and Sam's sniffles. Finally, she whispered, "Say _something,_ Daddy."

Gibbs shook his head and got up. "For the first time, Sam, I don't know what to say to you." He headed downstairs to his boat, leaving a broken-hearted girl in the kitchen.

Sam went upstairs to shower and change. Then she went down to find her dad. She couldn't go to sleep with him so angry at her. Gibbs was happy to see her come back down looking a little more like the girl he was used to. The smoky eyes were gone. She was actually wearing real clothes. And her long blonde waves were thrown on top of her head in a half-looped ponytail. She sat on the steps and watched her father work.

"I hurt you tonight, and I hate that. I didn't _plan_ to hurt you, if that helps anything. I made a huge error in judgement. I love you very much and it's killing me that I've disappointed you so badly. I was just going to have a night out with my friends. I was gonna tell you afterwards…" She finished quietly.

"Doesn't work that way, Sam," Gibbs said softly. "You already did that once and I let you off easy. You don't get to decide you wanna break the rules and tell me afterwards. You ask permission _first._"

"You're right," she said.

The fact that she wasn't fighting him at all took some wind out of his sails. "How long ago did you start planning this? How long ago did you get the fake ID?"

"Took about a month," she said.

"So for a month you've been deceiving me," he said flatly.

"I wasn't thinking of it that way," she said.

"You think I would approve of this? Dangerous neighborhood? My sixteen-year-old daughter in a bar? The skimpy clothes? The _illegal_ fake ID?" he was angry.

"No, you wouldn't," she said.

"Then you were deceiving me," he said. "I trusted you, Sam. I didn't even ask where you were going tonight because I trusted you to do the right thing. You broke that trust tonight, kid. Big time."

"It won't happen again," she said sincerely, knowing her dad's stance on apologies.

"I believe you," he said. It was the first hint of forgiveness he had offered. He walked over and gently took her by the jaw. He leaned closely and she could see the concern in his eyes. "Serial killer aside, you could've been hurt. You know how many young girls end up raped out of clubs like that? Someone slips something into their drink and they never know…" his voice broke. "Sam," he whispered. "Couldn't stand to have you hurt."

Sammie's tears came again, "How do I make it right between us, Dad?"

Gibbs pulled her up and hugged her, "Some things just take time. But we will be ok, Sam. I love you. Always will."

"I'll work to pay the windshield and towing fees," she said.

"Fine. But you won't be needing your car for a while anyway," Gibbs said.

"I figured. What else?" she asked.

"You broke rule number #1. You needlessly put yourself in danger. Grounded. Forever," he said. "Gibbs grounded." Then he sighed, "Get some sleep," Gibbs said gently. "Go on. We have to be at NCIS in a couple of hours and you won't believe all the questions you'll have to answer. It's going to be a long day."

Sam nodded, her face still blotchy and red. She stopped halfway up the stairs. "Dad?"

He nodded. "We're ok. I'll be up to kiss you in a second."

Sammie was feeling very sheepish the next morning as they stepped off the NCIS elevator. She rounded the corner with her dad in time to see the team grouped around a picture on the screen.

"Whoa! McGeek! Who's the hottie?! She might be too much for you to handle, McGirly. Maybe you should introduce her to the DiNozzo charm,"

"Uhhh, Tony," McGee tried stop him.

"Seriously, McGee, who is that?" Tony asked.

"I don't care who it is, let's get Sports Illustrated off the screen and get to work!" Gibbs yelled as he slapped Tony on the head.

As the men moved out of the way, Sammie said, "Hey! Why is my page on the screen?!"

Gibbs and Tony turned to her and quickly back to the screen. "That's _you_ Gibblet?" Tony said incredulously. "Boss, I didn't, I _swear_ I didn't…"

Gibbs stared at the picture of Sammie in her bikini, posing with her rear end sticking towards the camera and her hair lifted up in her hands. It was a beautiful photo, but not one he wanted his daughter taking.

"McGee. How did you get this picture?" Gibbs barked.

McGee looked like he wanted to die. Right then. Right there. "Uh Boss, Sam gave me her passwords so I could look at her social media pages and this was on there. I was uh, just scrolling through looking for the last pictures that the Vulture had interacted with."

Gibbs rounded on Sammie. "You put that on the internet for the world to see?"

Sammie shrugged. "What's wrong with it? I think I look pretty. I got 580 likes."

"Take it off, McGee. Just erase her whole InstaSnapBook page," he snapped.

"McGee, do NOT erase my page!" Sammie yelled. Even Gibbs looked surprised for a moment.

"I will remove that picture, Dad if you don't like it, but that page is special and holds all my memories since I was twelve. It's like a photo album. You can't take that from me," she said.

"A photo album of your butt for guys to ogle!" he yelled at Sam for the second time in two days.

He saw her flinch, but she stood her ground. "That is _not_ what my page is. You know me better than that. Trust me, compared to my friends' pages, my is ultra PG. Most of my friends have fake accounts for their parents, and one for themselves. I don't do any of that."

McGee cleared his throat. "She's right, boss. Any predator wouldn't find much on her page compared to others."

McGee pulled up Kayla's fake account at that moment, and Gibbs wanted to puke in his mouth at what he saw. Sammie's was tame compared to that. Unfortunately, Vance rounded the corner in time to see.

"WHAT. IS. MY. DAUGHTER. DOING. ON. YOUR. COMPUTER. MCGEE." he said in staccato.

"I don't care, I want all of Sammie's info off the web," Gibbs said.

Sammie had never defied him before but she said, "McGee, don't touch it." Gibbs looked at her in exasperation. "Besides, if you do it now, The Vulture will know you're on to him, and right now he doesn't know we've made the connection. It's in your best interest not to make any changes on these pages right now."

Tim waited a minute, looking between his bosses before saying, "She's right, you know."

Vance turned to Sammie. "You make this Vulture fake ID connection?"

Sammie nodded. "Kayla introduce you to him?" Sammie looked at the ground and Vance said, "That's what I thought."

Tony said, "I don't like leaving the picture Boss."

Sam threw her hands up and said, "You guys need to calm down. It's one picture. I'm in a swimsuit. Big deal. Good grief. I could be doing drugs but I took a picture in my swimsuit. You know what? It's been a hard 24 hours. I'm going to the bathroom to cool down for a second before I say something rude."

She stalked off to the bathroom and Ziva spoke up for the first time. "If you look at it objectively, Samantha is a beautiful young woman. The picture is quite lovely. And none of the other pictures on her page are like this. Mostly they are Sam and her friends, having fun. Here's one of me and Sam and Abby, all hanging out. Sam did not make this page to try to be sexy. But she is discovering who she is as a young woman and yelling at her for it will not make it any easier."

"Look Gibbs, here's one of you," McGee pulled it up.

It was a great shot of Gibbs and his boat. His face was intent on his sanding. He wasn't aware that he was being photographed, and the sun filtered in the high windows above him. He looked happy and peaceful. Sammie's caption read:

"This is my dad. My Gibbs. He loves this old boat and I love watching him work on it cause I know it's where he goes to clear his mind. Whether he's working hard or sanding his boat, he always has time for me. My dad taught me what it means to take pride in a job well done. He taught me how to have fun. He took me on my very first roller coaster ride. He taught me what it meant to have a home and a family. He's my hero and my best friend all rolled into one. He's my safe place to land and my protector. And even though he hates mushy stuff more than anyone I know, I couldn't let this day pass without honoring him just a little. He'll never know, anyway, but I have to say it: Happy Birthday Daddy. You're the best man I know."

McGee pulled up the comments, mostly Sammie's friends commenting how lucky she was to have such a cool dad. Gibbs had to admit it did his heart good. He always wondered if Sam felt funny having dad that was so much older than her friends' dads. But it seemed like she and her friends seemed to think he was doing a pretty good job. He cleared his throat to wash away the emotion.

"Ziver, will you check on Sam, please?" he said.

Vance nodded at him and said, "Well, Gibbs, her page is certainly easier to look at that Kayla's. I'll be back in a few. Kayla should be arriving anytime and we can take the girls' stories down to see if anything checks out." He turned to McGee, "And after this case is over, I will be employing your help in getting my daughter's pictures off the internet!"

McGee nodded nervously.

Ziva found Sammie in the bathroom, drying her eyes.

"Sorry, Ziva. I'm not usually such a baby but I hate being on the outs with my dad," Sammie said.

"Do not apologize, Sam. I do not like it when he's mad at me either. I will tell you a secret though. No father likes to see his daughter looking sexy. I have never seen a father handle it well before. It's built in," Ziva said.

Sammie laughed, "Really?"

Ziva nodded. "Really. I did not think the picture was awful Sammie but it flaunted your…assets quite well and I am sure Gibbs was not ready to think of you as a young woman. Fathers tend to want girls to stay girls. You cannot fault him for that."

Sammie sighed. "I've made him put up with a lot in the last two days. I guess I could cut him some slack."

Ziva smiled, "Good. Now suck it up, Gibbs. We have a killer to find and _you_, my dear friend, are the best link we've got."

It was just what Sammie needed to hear. She nodded and headed back to the bullpen with purpose. Gibbs was waiting just outside the door with a hug, though.

"I overreacted," he said simply. "We ok?"

Sam winked at him, "We're ok."

It wasn't long before McGee tracked the Vulture's IP address and the team had a lead. Gibbs left Sammie at NCIS with Vance, insisting it was the safest place for her. She was worried as she watched a team of people she loved heading out the elevator, but Tony hollered, "Don't worry, Gibblet. We'll get this guy. Be back soon."

Sammie woke up on the pallet in Abby's lab to her dad gently shaking her shoulder. It was after midnight. "Sam, come on. Let's go home."

"You get him?" she asked.

"We got him. No question. House was full of evidence," he said.

"Was I a target?" Sam asked.

"Yes, but not specifically. He had a list of all fake ID buyers. Your hunch was what cracked the case, Sam. He was keeping up to see if they posted where they would be that night and if things lined up, he struck. When you and Kayla posted the pic of yourselves all dressed up for a night on the town, he saw an opportunity. And he had a vendetta against Navy kids so getting into the area where base kids go to school made for lots of targets," Gibbs was still whispering so he wouldn't wake Abby.

"I thought I was smarter than that," Sam said.

Gibbs smiled, "Live and learn, Sam. We all make mistakes. Just learn from them."

She nodded. "So, about this Gibbs grounding…."

"Oh I already have a list a mile long, kiddo," he said.

"Will I ever drive again?" she asked hopefully.

"Sure. Maybe by that time they'll have hoverboards," he teased.

By Sammie's junior year of High School, she was drop-dead gorgeous. Gibbs was thankful that Sammie usually had her head buried in a book or at NCIS case to pay too much attention to boys. When she did have a date, Gibbs required her to bring the boy inside to meet him. Very rarely did a boy come inside twice. Sammie took it all good-naturedly, which told Gibbs that she didn't really care if the boys came back.

One morning he came into work in a foul temper. He was even shorter than usual. His team knew him by now, so David and McGee stayed quiet. DiNozzo, however, couldn't resist poking the bear. "Beautiful morning, isn't it Boss?"

Gibbs stared at Tony, knowing he deserved to be razzed a bit for his temper tantrum. "Beautiful day for desk duty, DiNozzo," he said.

"Shutting up, Boss," Tony said, but Gibbs could still feel Tony watching him.

Gibbs slammed another drawer and growled to his team, "When did you first try alcohol?"

The three looked surprised at the question. Tony was instantly worried, "What did Gibblet do?"

Gibbs was frustrated. "She didn't_ do_ anything. She just comes to me last night and says that after the fiasco with the Vulture she didn't want to lie to me, but she feels like it's time for her to try alcohol and she would like to get my permission to go to a party and drink. She says it's smarter for me to let her try it now before she's on her own in college and has to figure it out on her own. What am I supposed to say to _that?_ She's being open and honest, what every parent wants. But I'm not gonna give her permission to go party! Right?!"

His three agents looked nonplussed. McGee said, "I think I was 15 or 16 when I first had a drink."

Ziva shrugged, "I attended my first grown up party at 16. I have never cared much for alcohol, though. It made me lose control."

DiNozzo quietly said, "I was 13 and I sure as hell didn't ask my parents' permission. How old were you, Gibbs?"

Gibbs sighed. "About 15." He looked to his agents to see their thoughts but nobody had any ideas.

"I suppose if I was off duty I could go with her. Watch out for her," Tony said.

Gibbs looked up, liking the idea. "You'd do that, DiNozzo?"

DiNozzo shrugged, "Don't want her to go out alone. Gotta let the kid try some things, right?"

The others nodded. It seemed fair. Gibbs growled his approval of the plan, but clearly didn't like it.

Sammie wasn't too happy either. She crossed her arms and looked from Tony to Gibbs. "Tony is even more overprotective than you are, Dad," she whined.

"Hey, I can blend," Tony bragged. "You have no idea how I can blend. I'll just channel my inner college student and I guarantee your friends will think I'm the best party guest in the room. Beer Pong champion of my frat, actually." Gibbs cleared his throat. "I mean, not that I'll actually be playing, Boss. Guarding Sammie is the assignment. Got it loud and clear."

"Are you paying Tony to babysit, Dad?" Sam said smartly. "Cause that's a lot what this feels like."

"No, I'm not. Unless you count all the food he eats," Gibbs said.

"Hey!" Tony whined as he took a bite of the sandwich he'd made himself.

"This is a compromise, Sam. Take it or leave it," Gibbs stared at her and she knew she wouldn't win.

"Fine. Thank you for taking me, Tony. Do try to behave yourself," Sam squinted at him.

"Calm down, Gibblet. We'll have fun," Tony ruffled her hair.

Gibbs sent Sammie and Tony out the door Friday night still unsure that he'd made the right decision. He knew DiNozzo would watch her like a hawk though, and he didn't want Sam to be sorry she had confided in him. He figured if they could always be honest they were better off. If she wanted to experiment, it was better to do it in a controlled environment with him watching over her.

Sammie buckled in, "Thanks again for taking me, Tony." Sam was impressed. He had dressed down and would truly fit in with all the frat boys attending the party.

"No problem. It'll be fun to relive my glory days. How'd you get invited to a frat party anyway?" Then he looked her up and down. "I mean, it's pretty obvious that no guys are going to complain about having you around, but I mean specifically who invited you?"  
"Did you just call me pretty, DiNozzo?" Sammie teased.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Don't let it go to your head."

Sam laughed. "Kayla Vance. She does the party scene pretty heavy."

Tony cursed under his breath. "Well that puts me in a pretty awkward position."

Sammie winced. "Sorry, Tony."

"You owe me, Gibblet," he said.

Sammie introduced Tony as her date to everyone and nobody questioned her. Tony hadn't lied, either. He was quickly the life of the party. Years of going undercover had taught him how to pretend to swallow shots without actually doing it. It wasn't long before the room was gathered around him, chanting his name.

Sammie thought it was hilarious. Although, a few drinks may have helped her sense of humor along. Kayla never showed. Her dad had figured her out and they'd had a blow up about it. The fact that Tony only had one person to watch let him loosen up a bit.

Tony was as good as his word, though, and never let Sammie out of his sight. He gave her space when college boys hit on her, and watched her flirt. He had to admit, she was a pro at stopping it before it got out of hand. He counted her drinks and was making his way across the room on her third one. He was surprised when his normally responsible Sammie ended up climbing on a coffee table and doing a little karaoke for the room. Tony just whipped his cell camera out and recorded. He hoped that Sammie would realize just how out of control things could get. Maybe the video would help. He grinned devilishly as he imagined her face when she saw it.

After she was done he said, "Ok, Streisand. We're taking you home."

"Aw Tony, I was just starting to have fun," she yawned. Tony shook his head. She would be out in about five minutes. He was very glad he was the one taking her home and not some strange guy.

The next morning, Sammie groaned before she even opened her eyes. She heard Gibbs chuckle next to her. "I think my head is going to explode," she mumbled.

"Isn't going to get any better for a while, either," he gloated.

"Why do you sound so happy about that?" she said bitterly.

"I'll let the hangover teach the lesson this time," he said. "Come on, up you go. I've got medicine and toast."

"I don't think I can stomach anything," she protested.

"Yes you can. Trust me, it'll help," he pushed. She got the food down and then made her way as far as the couch before falling asleep again.

When Sammie finally woke up hours later, she at least felt human again. She walked into the kitchen and groaned. Tony was waiting with a smile from ear to ear.

"Afternoon, Gibblet. Have seat. I've prepared a sitrep for you and Gibbs," he whipped out a laptop, clearly enjoying the moment a little too much.

He started his presentation with a slide that read, "Is Samantha Mature Enough for Alcohol?"

Sammie rolled her eyes and stood up, "I don't feel like being razzed, Tony."

"Sit down," her father said sternly. "I agreed to all this but I didn't like it. And Tony gave up a rare off-duty Friday to make your wishes happen. You need to respect him enough to hear what he has to say. Frankly I'd like to hear, too."

Sammie sat back down and Tony cleared his throat, pleased to have the floor.

"Let me start with evidence that might prove Samantha is prepared for the world of frat parties and beers. Point #1-Samantha recognized her own limitations and took along a capable friend to help her. Point #2-Samantha did not once take a drink a stranger offered her, proving that she's been listening to our lectures all along. Point #3-Samantha was confident and firm with any and all smarmy boys who tried to hook up with her and seemed perfectly capable of taking care of herself." Sammie sat up straighter and looked pleased that she had stayed for Tony's little presentation.

"Of course, as with any case, one has to present both sides. Allow me to submit the exhibits which would prove that Samantha Gibbs is not, in fact, ready for the party scene. Exhibit A-After one drink, Samantha's inhibitions were lowered enough that she was no longer paying attention to how many drinks she had. Eventually she ingested enough to make her pass out, which is a danger to her health and her safety." Sammie shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Exhibit B-Samantha lost control of herself and acted completely out of character in her drunken state." Sammie opened her mouth to protest but Tony cut her off. "I'd like to submit the following video for evidence." When Tony played the video of Sam dancing on the table and belting out her tunes, her face turned a million shades of red. Gibbs looked torn between laughter and disbelief. When he saw the boys watching Sammie, his emotions quickly turned to concern. "As a side note, I'd like to add that our little Gibblet may be one butt-kicking mini ninja, but she is most definitely tone deaf."

"Tony, shut it off! That's just humiliating," she cried.

"Better hope it doesn't get out on social media from someone else there," he said seriously. "Exhibit C from Sam's big night out is THIS-" his face turned to disgust as he put up a picture of vomit in the floorboard of his beloved sportscar. "Samantha Gibbs cannot hold her liquor, and as a result, my beautiful car suffered the consequences. And so did my shoes. Wasn't pretty, Sam," he said in mock disgust.

Sam's eyes were huge. "I don't remember that. Tony, I'm SO sorry! SO SO sorry! I owe you!"

"Oh, trust me, Gibblet. You owe me big time," he quickly answered. "My conclusion of this sitrep is that Samantha Gibbs is _not_ ready to test her wings quite yet, as this night could have ended very badly for her if I hadn't been there."

Sammie sighed, "Well, the good news, Tony, is that I agree. I don't think I'm really into the party scene. Didn't like feeling out of control. Don't like that I can't remember what happened. REALLY don't like that I puked on you. HATE the headache to follow. And to be honest, didn't really like the taste. Once was enough for me. At least for a while. But thanks, guys. It was something I had to find out for myself. I'm gonna go take a shower. I think I need to wash some vomit out of my hair."

"Not a bad idea Gibblet. You were getting a little ripe," DiNozzo hollered after her.

Gibbs took a deep breath. "Well, I think I made the right call, letting her go. Don't you?"

DiNozzo nodded. "I'd rather have her do it safely than have another concert disaster."

Gibbs looked Tony in the eyes, "Thanks for going and watching her. And thanks for making that stupid presentation. I think it actually helped. You're one of a kind, DiNozzo. I'm glad Sam has you."

Tony was surprised by the rare show of emotion from Gibbs but he tried not to show it. He simply nodded and said, "Anytime. Now, are you going to feed me?"

The next day Gibbs offered to pay to get Tony's car detailed. They picked Tony up from the shop with plans to have lunch and return him later. A call came through while they were on their way to the restaurant. Crime scene in a parking garage a few blocks over. Gibbs turned the car around and headed that way.

It was then that he realized Sammie was in the back. He was undecided. He wanted to get there, but he couldn't take her to a crime scene. "What do you want to do, Boss?"

"Call the whole team and add Deurnigan. I'll have them meet us there and drive Sam home."

They pulled into the parking garage and Gibbs said, "I see the body. Looks like we're the first to arrive. Sam, stay in the car. Do you understand?"

She nodded and pulled out her phone. Both men seemed satisfied so they got out to investigate the scene. It took about two seconds for Sammie's gut to feel off. She looked up in time to see someone sneaking behind the cars one row above them. She debated what to do. If she called the guys or even hollered, she may alert the suspect. Better to walk over and quietly tell them.

Gibbs and Tony had their backs to Sammie, facing the corpse, when Sammie saw it. A gun was pointing straight at her dad. "Daddy!" she yelled as she threw her body into his. The bullet missed his head but grazed Sammie's shoulder where it met Gibb's arm. It landed a little more squarely in his arm. Tony fired immediately, dropping the suspect.

He covered Sammie instead of chasing the suspect until Gibbs righted himself and said, "Go check it out, Tony. I can cover."

Sammie was crying at the blood on Gibbs' shirt, completely ignoring the blood running down her bare arms. "Daddy he almost killed you," she sobbed. Gibbs held her with his good arm.

"He didn't," Gibbs said. He knew, though, that he was bleeding too fast and he hoped Tony would arrive soon. "Sam, calm down. I need you to help me. Take my belt off and tie it around my arm." Sammie was shaking, but she did what he asked. She called 911 again and with a calm she did not feel said, "I'm calling again about a shooting in a parking garage on West 50th. We have a federal agent who has been shot and another who is pursuing a suspect on foot. When can we expect help? Second floor."

Even as he felt himself slipping out of consciousness, Gibbs was proud. Where had she learned to talk like that? To command respect at her age?

"Daddy? Dad! Stay with me! Don't pass out, Daddy. Talk to me," he heard the tears in her voice. The ambulance arrived and the paramedics ran straight to Sam. He couldn't say much but he heard her say, "I'm fine! Get him help!"

They tried to put her in a separate ambulance but she refused. She lost the right to be with him, however, when his BP dropped dangerously low. Gibbs could hear her screaming his name, but he couldn't open his eyes to talk to her. He finally allowed himself to rest when he heard DiNozzo pull her out of the vehicle and take control. He was bringing Sam. They would be ok. And then it was black.

Gibbs woke up several hours later with Sammie on one side, Abby on another, and DiNozzo at the foot of the bed. He grunted. Sharp pain radiated through his side. He tried to lift his hand for a drink, but found that his arm seemed to be made of lead.

"Daddy!" Sammie jerked her head up from her hand. She had been dozing. "You're awake."  
"Water," he croaked.

"Here, Boss," DiNozzo helped him with the straw. "You gave us a scare there for a minute. Lost too much blood. The belt saved your life. You're gonna be fine. Arm will have full mobility in a coupe months. I got the shooter. We think he was working alone."

Gibbs could've hugged DiNozzo in that moment. They'd been here before. Each had taken his turn in the bed. The first thing you wanted to know when you woke up was details. Tony answered all his questions but one. He turned to Sammie, "You ok?"

She looked down at her arm. "Yeah. I'm ok. I have stitches but they'll dissolve on their own." Gibbs knew that she had already seen one set of parents shot. Seeing him hurt had to have taken her back. He thought he remembered her screaming as he was loaded on the ambulance. So he asked again, "You ok?"

Sammie looked confused for a moment before she understood the question. "If you're ok, I'm ok," was all she said.

"Gibbs, you have to stop getting hurt like this," Abby had been around long enough to see Gibbs injured more than once. "What are we going to do with you?" she let a few tears leak out.

"I'm fine Abs. I'll be out of here and yelling at you to work faster in a couple days," he winked.

"Why don't the two of you go get a snack," he motioned to Tony and Abby. "Bring us something back." They understood that he wanted a word with Sam alone.

The two of them left and Sam's eyes filled with tears. "Seeing you helpless and hurting was the hardest thing I've ever done. I can't lose you, Daddy."

He squeezed her hand. "I can't lose you, either. Rule #1, Sam. You put yourself in danger. Never should've gotten out of that car."

Sammie stiffened. "If that's your way of thanking me for saving your life, you've got a funny way of showing it."

"I'm not kidding, Sam. You're not an agent. You could've been killed. And that's my fault for taking you there. I'll never forgive myself for that. But you disobeyed a direct order to stay in the car. You were unarmed and untrained. You're lucky my arm is in a sling. If it wasn't, your butt would be. I could've lost you today," he said.

"If you think I'm going to apologize for pushing you out of the way when a gun was aimed at your head, you're wrong," she said forcefully. "I'd do the same thing a million times over if I had the chance."

"Man, you're stubborn," Gibbs sighed.

"Learned that from the best," she volleyed back at him.

"We will have this out, Samantha," he warned. "You know how I feel about rule #1."

"And you know how I feel about you," she said.

"I'm too tired to argue with you right now," he was already closing his eyes. "I want you to go get some rest at home, Sam. This day was harder on you than you know. You're hurt. When the adrenaline runs out you're gonna feel it. Have Tony and Abby stay with you."

"It's just a couple of stitches. I don't want to leave you," Sammie began to argue.

"Fact is, I rest better without an audience. Ask the kids," he nodded Tony and Abby who had appeared in the doorway.

"It's true, Gibblet," Tony said. "Boss doesn't like company when he sleeps. Besides, he's on some heavy pain meds. He'll be out in no time. I could probably tuck a pretty pink teddy under his arm and he'd never know the difference. Hey, now _that_ is a tempting thought," Tony trailed off.

Gibbs never opened his eyes but said, "DiNozzo. I'm just counting how many head slaps I'm saving up for my first day back."

"Got it, Boss. Taking Sam home, Boss. We'll be back tomorrow. Don't worry about a thing," Tony said.

As it was, Sammie didn't get off too easy from Tony, either. They spent the whole ride home arguing about her decision to get out of the car. Abby was on Sammie's side, much to her delight. But Tony wouldn't cave.

"The end doesn't justify the means, Sam. We are trained. Gibbs has good reflexes. You had no business being out there. You_ cannot _be at a crime scene!"

"You guy are the ones who drove me there! And I'm just supposed to watch you get shot?" she said incredulously.

Tony cursed. "I know we drove you there. It was a bad decision. Vance is pissed. At all three of us. You and I have to go give statements tomorrow."

Sammie sighed unhappily. This must be the red tape her dad always complained about. Why couldn't anyone just be happy they were all three alive?

Tony may have yelled at Sammie, but nobody could fault his care of her. He stayed by her bedside all night, sleeping in the recliner in her bedroom that her dad used when she was sick or scared. As it was, Sammie did have nightmares. Seeing her father almost die had affected her more than she knew. Flashbacks to hiding behind the couch while her first parents were shot mingled with Gibbs getting shot in the head and Sammie woke up screaming more than once. Each time, Tony was there to calm her down. Each time, Tony was angrier and angrier at himself and Gibbs for putting her in that position.

The next morning Vance was waiting for them. He called DiNozzo in first and left Sammie waiting on the chair outside the door. Sammie didn't have to ask how the meeting went. She could tell by the tension in Tony's jaw that the meeting hadn't gone well.

Tony said, "I'm gonna go get some work done. Just find me when you're finished and I'll take you to see Gibbs."

Sammie nodded and went in Vance's office. She had never felt unwelcome here before, but she could tell Vance was not happy. Vance was impressed that she didn't start babbling like most witnesses called in. She made him speak first.

"SecNav heard your father was shot. Gibbs is well-known in this town. He also heard that a seventeen-year-old girl was involved in the shooting and injured. He wants to know why a minor was at our crime scene. I'd like to know, too, Sam. So why don't you explain to me how you came to be in the middle of things, because I've got some people breathing down my neck about this."

Sammie recounted the events just as they happened. "Obviously, neither of the men thought there would be any danger or they wouldn't have taken me there, Director."

"And what made you think it was ok to get out of the car after a federal agent told you not to?" Vance said sternly.

"The gun pointing at his head," she said just as seriously.

Vance was ticked, but he couldn't really fault her actions. Sammie was a lot of things, but a coward wasn't one of them. "You aren't trained for these situations. You could have caused more harm than good."

"Don't need training to push someone out of the way of a bullet," she shrugged.

Vance was impressed again, but did his best not to show it.

"You should know that your father is under investigation because you got out of the car," he went for her weak spot, and it worked.

Sam's eyes widened and she said, "It's not his fault! He told me to stay!"

"Which you did not do. And you were his responsibility," Vance said. "Not too happy with DiNozzo, either. But Gibbs made the call. He's in a lot of trouble, Sammie."

"That's not fair!" Sam respected Vance, but she didn't work for him. "You can't sit there and tell me that you wouldn't have done the same exact thing my dad did if you and Kayla had gotten that call! Honestly, sir, would you have ignored the call? How often in the last ten years have you been shot at while photographing a crime scene?"

"It happens enough, Sammie. Enough to know not to take my kid with me," he said.

"I'm not a kid and honestly, Director, off the record, if you had been in the same situation, you wouldn't have just pulled in to check things out? You would've driven Kayla home first, even though it would've cost you precious time?" Sammie pressed him.

Vance sighed, "Maybe, Samantha. Maybe I would've driven in to take a look. I know Gibbs didn't expect this to happen. And I know that he's beating himself up over it. I heard your 911 call. You were great under pressure. But I also heard how you lost it when they tried to separate you from your father and that DiNozzo had to restrain you. It was an unfortunate situation, Sam. And Gibbs won't forgive himself anytime soon, I'm sure."

Vance sat back in his chair. "Can't ignore the fact that you did save his life, Sam. Forensic evidence leads me to believe they wouldn't have seen the shot coming. The belt you tied around him, your specific directions to the EMT's. It all made a difference. But I have to warn you that there are people who want charges pressed for tampering with a crime scene. The fact that you are not yet 18 is the only thing saving you from possible legal trouble. You understand that if you were six months older, you could seriously be facing jail time? This can't happen again, Sam. I think you've been told this before, but you are _not_ a federal agent."

Sammie nodded. "Understood, sir. I don't think I'll be taken to anymore crime scenes anytime soon." Vance moved to stand, considering the conversation over. But Sammie wasn't done. "Director? What's going to happen to my dad? I know he messed up but does that erase more than 20 years of _not_ messing up? I know that you two don't always see eye to eye, but you have to admit that my dad gives everything to this job. His record tells the story. There's nobody else with more solves. You wouldn't really fire him for this, would you? It's not his fault. It's my fault. And if I messed up his job, I would never forgive myself. My Dad and the job…they're kinda all tied up together. I don't think I could separate the two."

"I can fight for Gibbs," Vance said. "I can't promise he won't walk away without a mark on his record, but it certainly wouldn't be the first time that's happened, Sam. He doesn't have any aspirations to sit in this seat, so he seems relatively unconcerned about that."

"If you have to suspend him, do it while he's recovering so nobody but his team knows," Sammie said. "I don't want him embarrassed in because of me."

Vance raised a brow. "I don't recall taking my orders from high school students."

Sammie had the good grace to blush. "Well, it was just an idea…."

"An idea I'll take into consideration," he said.

Before she left, Vance gave Sammie a hug. "I am very happy you walked away with nothing more than stitches, Samantha. And I'm glad your father will be back to being a pain in my butt in no time."  
"Thanks, Director. And thanks for protecting my Daddy," Sammie hugged him tighter for that, and Vance let a little of his anger towards Gibbs and DiNozzo melt away.

By the time DiNozzo and Sam arrived at the hospital, Vance and Gibbs had it out on the phone. Vance was surprised that Gibbs didn't argue with him. Seemed that Sam was his weak spot, too. He was feeling so guilty about what happened that he was willing to take whatever Vance threw his way.

DiNozzo nodded as they came in, still visibly upset from his meeting. "Vance call you?"

"Yup. We got it all worked out," Gibbs said calmly.

DiNozzo was surprised. "You did? Cause when I left he was ready to feed you to the wolves."

"Seems that our little Sammie had some harsh words with him and got him to change his mind," Gibbs' mouth was twitching, and Sammie knew he was trying not to smile.

Tony was shocked. "What did you say to him, Sam?"

She shrugged. "Basically that he knew good and well he would've done the same thing you guys did if Kayla had been in the car. Got him to admit that forensic evidence proves that you two wouldn't have known what hit you if I hadn't gotten out. He admitted I was useful in getting assistance for Gibbs. So how could he be too mad when he would've done the same thing? And then I told him that Gibbs was the best agent he had and that he better not embarrass him in front of everyone and that if he was going to suspend him, he needed to do it while Gibbs healed up. That way SecNav is happy and Daddy doesn't lose face."

Tony stared at her with his mouth hanging open for a moment. "You said all that to him, and he didn't kill you?"

"I don't work for him, Tony. You do. He did threaten to put me in jail if it ever happens again. Said it would be out of his hands," she shrugged.

"It _won't_ happen again," two men said at once.

As it was, Tony was team leader for the next month while Gibbs simultaneously took his sick leave and suspension. If anyone saw it as a slap on the wrist, nobody complained. Sammie enjoyed the extra time with her father, and he let her take care of him until he could stand the hovering no longer. Sam's only complaint was that Tony was so busy working, she barely saw him at all for the month. Gibbs made a full recovery and Sammie was left with an interesting scar. Gibbs had been concerned that it might bother her, but Sammie wore it like a badge of honor. In fact, she bragged about it so much that the rest of the team threatened to give her even more badges of honor if she didn't shut her trap.

Sammie's senior year came faster than Gibbs would've liked. Sam was a good kid, and had settled into who she wanted to be. She went out with friends, but she was fine staying at home, too. She dated a boy off and on, but Gibbs never saw that she was overly serious about him. She seemed to prefer hanging out at home with him and Tony just as much as going out. Sam and Tony were pretty much connected at the hip. Gibbs took Sam on a mountain vacation over spring break and he had to admit it was the best week he'd had since he could remember.

Sammie had decided to attend school close to home. It was one of the best schools in the area, and she had won scholarships because of her academics. Gibbs had to force her into sorority living though. With her supermodel good looks and academic achievements, Sammie was a shoo-in.

"Dad, what a waste of money," she'd complained. "I'm happy here."

"I've got money to spare," he said. "Know you're happy, but you need to get out and see the world, Sam."

"But you'll be all alone if I go," she began, and Gibbs knew this was the heart of the matter.

"Sam, it's not your job to take care of me. I can do just fine on my own," he said. She looked hurt for a moment and he knew what she was thinking. "Sam. Listen to me. I don't _want_ you gone. I'm gonna miss you like crazy, kid. And I won't lie. It's gonna hurt. But that is _not_ going keep you from experiencing what college has to offer."

Sammie looked stubborn. "I still want Sundays. It's non-negotiable."

Gibbs smiled, "Wouldn't have it any other way."

"And I want one dinner a week. You come the twenty minutes to me," she said.

"Fine. But that's it. If I get too lonely, I'm sure DiNozzo would be willing to eat my food," he winked. Tony may as well have moved in, he spent so much time there.

So Sam was accepted to her school, her major undecided. She was torn between social work and criminal justice, but she was leaning towards criminal justice. Gibbs had strongly discouraged it, but it was in Sam's blood. He knew with her quick mind she could have a good career. He had just hoped for something…safer and happier for her.

But that was still months away. Sam had prom to look forward to in the meantime. She went shopping with friends for the perfect dress but she put it on hold until she could get her dad's approval.

"I think I found the dress, Dad, but it's a little more expensive than I thought it'd be," she said. "I'd be happy to do some filing at headquarters and pay you back for part of it, though."

"How much over budget are we talking, Sam?" Gibbs asked.

She closed her eyes and told him, then opened one eye to see what he was thinking. Maybe it was feeling nostalgic about her impending move to college, maybe it was the fact that she was so cute, he didn't know. Before he could stop himself, he said, "Let's go take a look."

When Sam came out in the dress, Gibbs couldn't say no. He hadn't realized until that moment that she was grown. A beautiful woman stood before him, and the dress accentuated all the right places. It wasn't trashy like the clubbing clothes she had worn out at 16. It was…classy. Just like Sam.

"Let's get it," Gibbs said.

Sam's cheeks flushed with excitement, but she said, "I know it's a lot of money, Dad."

"Nobody else I'd rather spend it on," he said in his quiet way, earning him a hug.

Sam couldn't wait to wear the dress, but her prom plans fell apart just a couple of weeks before the dance. She came in slightly after curfew on Friday night, which was unlike her. Gibbs was annoyed that she hadn't called him, but he had been giving her a few minutes since it was a one off. He was on the couch watching TV, and she tried to walk straight up the stairs without stopping to talk.

"Hey," he said gruffly. "What happened tonight?"

"To be honest, Daddy, it wasn't a good night, but I handled it," she said from the shadows of the entryway.

"Come here," he said in confusion. Sammie never closed him out. Why wouldn't she come near him?

"Dad, before I do, I want you to understand that I am an adult, and I _handled it. _Ok?" she said firmly.

His heart beat just a bit faster, but he nodded. As Sam came into the lamplight, he saw that she had a bruise across her cheek and that her tank top was ripped.

He stood up and walked over to hug her. When he did, he could feel her shaking. "Sam, Baby, _what happened?"_

"I was out with Jeffrey. I had known for awhile that he was wanting to get more…physical. But I couldn't decide how I felt about him. I like him a lot. But I am not in love. Tonight he got…pushy. He felt like I had been leading him on. Maybe I had. Didn't mean to, though," she looked up at him with hurt in her eyes. Then she sighed, "He messed with the wrong girl. He got one in because he surprised me, but trust me, Daddy. He looks a lot worse than I do. I'll be surprised if he shows his face at school at all this week. He has two black eyes, a split lip, and a dislocated shoulder."

Gibbs made a mental note to hug Ziva the next time he saw her. He took a photo of Sam and called in a report to local LEO just in case the jerk tried to press charges. He wanted Sam to have a clear self-defense case. He helped her ice the bruise, then he said, "What can I do to make it better, Sam?"

"Will you just sit with me, Dad?" she asked. She curled against him on the couch and they watched reruns of their favorite shows until Sam fell asleep. Gibbs stayed awake a long time, trying to convince himself that paying a visit to Jeffrey's house was not a good idea.

The next morning Sam was subdued, but fine. It was clear that she was going to have one heck of a shiner, though. Gibbs was furious at the boy who treated her like this. "Sam, you know that a man does not treat a woman like this because she 'led him on,' right?"

She sighed, "I know that, Dad. His reaction was disproportionate. I just felt bad if I had given him any indication…"

"Doesn't matter. Nobody treats a woman that way. I would never. McGee would never. DiNozzo, even with all his flirting, would never. No matter what. There's nothing a woman can do to make that ok." Gibbs decided to be openly frank to get his point across. "Sam, it doesn't matter if a woman has come back to a man's house, taken her clothes off and crawled into bed with him. If she changes her mind, that's _her_ choice. She doesn't do anything to deserve him hurting her. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal, Dad," she said with a roll of her eyes. "I'm not going to lie and say he didn't hurt my feelings. He did. But I'm not going to shed a bunch of tears over a jerk like that. The worst part of this whole thing, Daddy, is that he was my prom date." Now her eyes filled up. "I was looking so forward to a special night and wearing that dress. I'm sure I'll have formals in college, but I can't return the dress. I'm so sorry you spent all that money, Dad."

"That's the least of my worries," he said, but he hated to see her so disappointed.

"One more thing, Dad. Call Tony. Tell him what happened and threaten his life if he interferes with Jeffrey. I'm old enough to decide how I want this handled, and I think little Jeffrey learned his lesson. Now I just want to leave it alone. Tony flying off the handle will only make me feel worse," she said.

Gibbs sighed. DiNozzo was a hothead. Sammie had a good point. It was Saturday. The boy would probably magically appear around football time. He better prepare him. He made the call and Gibbs realized that he had perhaps underestimated Tony's wrath. He had to threaten the kid's job and his life before he talked Tony down. He told him not to blow this out of proportion to Sam or to stay home. Tony wanted to see her, so he calmed himself.

When Tony arrived, Gibbs could see the muscles in his jaw jumping, but he only hugged Sam and told her good job giving the jerk what he deserved. Sam smiled at that and invited Tony to her break-up binge. Gibbs shook his head. The coffee table was littered with ice cream, pizza, chips, and chili dogs. He didn't know how Sammie wasn't sick. But Tony joined right in and the two put away more food than he could think of eating in a week.

Two days later, Sam got a formal invite in the mail. It was for a night on the town with Anthony DiNozzo, Jr. Dress was black tie. They would be eating at the finest establishment in D.C. and taking a limo there. It was for the same night as Sammie's prom. When Gibbs saw Sam's eyes fill with happy tears and the excited blush on her face as she read the invite, he could've hugged DiNozzo and kissed him on the cheek. What a thoughtful thing to do for Sam. He knew it would set the kid back several hundred dollars but Tony took care of his own. If there was one thing growing up in a crap family had taught him, it was that you did whatever you could for the people you loved.

Sam got her beautiful dress pics, and Gibbs even took a prom style picture of the two of them in front of the fireplace. Tony thought he was just being sweet to his surrogate little sister, but when he saw Sam in her dress with her hair and make-up done, his eyes just about fell out of his head. When Sam wasn't looking, Gibbs reached up and gave him a light head smack just to remind him he was there. DiNozzo recovered quickly. "You look beautiful, Sam," Tony used her real name for a change.

"Thanks, Tony. You don't look so bad yourself," Sam smiled at him in his stylish suit.

Sam would later tell Gibbs that she had even more fun with Tony than she would've had at prom, and that she wouldn't have changed a thing.

Sam was nearing the end of her freshman year of college when she made a surprise visit to Gibbs. She found him in the basement on a Friday night. "Hey pops! What are you making tonight?" she said.

"I'm working on some end tables. Thought you might like them," he said.

She smiled. "Course I will."

He put down the tools and wiped his hands on his jeans. "What brings you home on a Friday? Got a lot of studying? Need some quiet?"

"That's just a bonus. I actually came cause there was something I wanted to discuss with you," she looked a little uncomfortable.

"Shoot," he said.

"Well, I, uh, made you a promise a long time ago. I was fifteen? Four, close to five years ago? I promised you that we would…talk…before I made a big decision in my life. I realize that I'm uh, grown now and I wasn't sure if you still expected me to….talk to you about this. But I didn't feel right about ignoring it, either. I've never broken a promise to you. Couldn't start now," she blushed.

Gibbs was surprised. To be honest, he had wondered if that ship had sailed one Sam got to college. But it looked like she still had a good head on her shoulders.

"Who is he?" Gibbs had picked his tools back up in an effort to keep things from getting anymore awkward.

"I'll tell you when I know if it's serious. I'm afraid that I may care about him more than he cares about me. I need to have a talk with him. If it turns out that he feels for me what I think he might, I'll bring him home. Deal?" she said.

"Sounds fair," Gibbs said. "Who wouldn't love you, though, Sam?"

She rolled her eyes, "Spoken like a true dad."

He cleared his throat and looked uncomfortable, a strange expression for Leroy Jethro Gibbs. "You…know about…safety and stuff?"

She laughed. "Don't worry, Dad. Ziva and Abby started prepping me on that stuff a looooong time ago."

He was relieved. "Thanks for talking to me, Sam. You're old enough now that I know you'll make the right decisions. And if he breaks your heart, you'll cripple him. That's comforting."

Sammie laughed and jumped off the side of the stair, her long legs making it look easy. She came over to kiss him on the cheek. "I'm gonna go get some studying done. Love you, Dad."

Sam went upstairs and Gibbs sanded. He sanded so much that he had to throw out that piece of wood and start his project all over.

_One month later:_

Gibbs banged on DiNozzo's apartment door. "DiNozzo! You better have a real good reason for being unreachable!" he yelled through the door. He kept banging, his temper getting the best of him. DiNozzo hadn't done this since his probie days. Sure, it was 7 on Saturday morning, but they were on call. He knew better than to ignore his phone. Gibbs was just starting to get worried when Tony opened the door partway, dressed in only his boxers.

"Boss," Tony looked worried. "I can explain."  
"Oh, you better explain, DiNozzo," Gibbs whispered, hearing a guest shuffling in the other room. "Tell the flavor of the month good-bye and get her out of here! I had to send David and McGee ahead to the scene because I couldn't get ahold of you. Then I had to make this little detour," he pushed his way on into the room and took in the candles and flowers on the table. The bottle of wine on the table was half empty. This looked like more than one of Tony's casual flings. Gibbs smacked him on the head three times. "Go! Get dressed. We gotta hurry."

"Boss," Tony began as Sammie came around the corner, wearing nothing but DiNozzo's dress shirt and her underwear.

"Tony?" she yawned his name, clearly only now waking up. When she opened her eyes she jumped and said, "Daddy! What are you doing here?"

Gibbs looked at her, nonplussed, "Sammie?" He took a look around the room and said her name again. "Sammie? What? What is…"

DiNozzo held his hands up, well and truly afraid that Gibbs was going to punch him. "Listen, Boss, this is not how we wanted you to find out. Why don't you give us a minute to uh, get dressed, and we can talk."

Gibbs acted like Tony hadn't even spoken. "What. Is. Going. On?" he looked between the two of them.

"Daddy, you know I talked to you a while ago about a boy I cared for…but I didn't know how he felt," Sam began. Gibbs still felt his world swirling around him. "It was Tony, Dad. I've had feelings for him for longer than I could admit to myself. But I've been half in love with him ever since our 'prom' date."

"I swear, Boss, I didn't think of trying _anything_ with Sam until she brought it up. I was shocked to hear how she felt. But once she did, I…I realized that I felt the same way, too," Tony said.

Gibbs looked at Sam and said in disbelief, "DiNozzo?! He's slept with half the city! He's a playboy!"

"Those days are over, Boss. Have been for a while. I wouldn't have slept with Sam if I wasn't ready to make a commitment to her," he assured Gibbs.

"Tony loves me, Daddy. He's treated me better than any other boy ever could. And I know that he's been with lots of girls, but that's ok. The practice actually made him pretty good at what he does so…" she winked at Tony.

"Ohhhh, Sam." Tony moved to cover her mouth. "I don't think that's what you wanted to say."

Gibbs eyes were narrowed at both of them. "I won't allow this," he said. "It's not a good idea."

Tony looked hurt. "Wow, Boss. Is it just me, or do you have some other objection?"

"Well for starters you're EIGHT YEARS OLDER THAN SHE IS," he began.

"Daddy, stop!" Sammy said forcefully. "I love you, but you don't get a say in this. I'm almost 20 years old and I put a lot of thought into this decision. Tony and I can do what we want, and we don't need your approval."

Tony sighed, "Sam, don't talk to your dad like that. You know you'll just regret it later and torture yourself. You two are tight, and you won't be happy if your dad doesn't approve. Don't say things you don't mean just because you're angry."

The fire drained out of Sam, but she still flashed hurt eyes towards her father. Gibbs had to admit, Tony was good for Sam. She was strong, but he was the only man he'd ever seen who could handle her and support her at the same time. Sammie was stubborn, but she almost always listened to Tony. And Tony had yet to lead her astray.

Gibbs ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. "I'd like to discuss this with both of you later, but Tony, we have to go. We have a call and we are unacceptably late."

Sam looked vulnerable as she stood by the kitchen table. Tony pushed Gibbs out onto the patio, not caring that he was wearing his boxers. "Listen, Boss. I need the day off. I can't leave Sam like this. She's upset about you and this…" he looked extremely uncomfortable. "It's uh... Last night was the first... See, the thing is, we just.."

"Spit it out, DiNozzo!" Gibbs was losing his patience.

"Last night was Sam's first time, and I'd hate for her memory of that to be me getting up and leaving her the morning after. Especially when she's upset. Sammie deserves better," Tony said.

Gibbs stared at him for a moment, impressed with his care for Sam. "Call it in as a sick day, DiNozzo, and lay low until we can talk this through."

Tony nodded and went inside, knowing he wouldn't get much more from his boss for the moment. But the door quickly opened and Sam hollered over the railing down to Gibbs in the parking lot below.

"Gibbs!" she said. And she raised her arms and shrugged her shoulders.

Gibbs shook his head, "Good gosh, Sam. Get some pants on!"

"I don't care about pants, Dad. I care about you. Are we ok?" she asked.

Gibbs remembered Tony's words about how Sam would remember this day forever and he nodded, "Yeah, Sam. We're ok."

She let out a breath and smiled. Then she nodded. "Good. We'll talk later?"

Gibbs nodded, "We'll talk. Love you, Sam."

Sammie looked relieved and happy as she said, "Love you, too Daddy."

Gibbs felt good that he had said the right thing, but he didn't necessarily mean it. He felt betrayed and shocked. DiNozzo. That little worm had been in his home, acting like Sam's big brother, eating his food for years. How dare he? Just when Gibbs was ready to turn the car around so he could kill DiNozzo, he remembered Tony's hurt expression and his words, "Is it just me, Boss?"

Gibbs cursed. He loved both those kids. If this thing went south, he could lose DiNozzo. But if he tried to stop it, he already knew that Sam would never forgive him. There were worse people than Anthony DiNozzo, Gibbs had to admit that. And Tony had stood up to him outside the apartment, refusing to leave Sam. He didn't think Tony had missed work once since he'd been at NCIS. He had to respect Tony. Didn't have to like it, but he respected it.

Gibbs hit the steering wheel again, fuming. Why was he so mad? Sammie hadn't been completely honest with him. She'd been hiding her feelings for DiNozzo, and the two of them had been seeing each other behind his back. Sam had never left him out of the loop before. He stewed in righteous indignation for a few minutes before reminding himself that Sam _had_ actually come to him about a month ago, keeping her end of the promise.

What had she said? She didn't know how the guy felt, but if he liked her, she'd bring him home. So this hadn't been going on _that_ long. Now her words made sense. She didn't see any reason in risking his relationship with DiNozzo if DiNozzo turned her down flat. Nobody would've been the wiser, and she would've nursed her broken heart in secret. Gibbs didn't like that. But Sam was an adult now. He supposed it wasn't very reasonable to expect her to fill him in on every detail of her love life. As he thought about it, he didn't _want_ every detail. Her claim that DiNozzo was "_good at what he did,"_ was enough to make Gibbs want to tear his own ears off his head. Gibbs found himself gripping the steering wheel tighter in an effort NOT to picture DiNozzo doing whatever it was he did to Sammie.

When Gibbs showed up late to the crime scene, McGee and David looked at him curiously, but wisely held their questions. "DiNozzo took a sick day," he said.

Ziva looked concerned. "That is not like Tony. Maybe we should check on him."

Gibbs said, "I'll take care of DiNozzo as soon as we're done, Ziva. Don't you worry about it."

Both agents seemed to know there was more to the story, but they were good at minding their own business. Abby and Tony were his nosy ones. They wouldn't have let it rest. The case was open and shut, no investigating needed, so Gibbs asked McGee to take charge at the office.

"I'm gonna go home, McGee. I trust you and David to close this out," he said.

Tim looked concerned, "Boss, I don't want to pry, but you ok? You're not yourself right now."

Gibbs gave Tim a rare smile. "Got a lot on my mind, McGee. Personal stuff. But I'm ok. Need to go deal with it, though. Thanks for checking."

McGee nodded, "If you need me…"

"I know. Thanks, McGee," Gibbs said. Ziva waved at him as they pulled away and Gibbs headed back to the comfort of his basement and his bourbon.

Gibbs worked until the basement was dark. Then he flipped the light on and worked some more. He wasn't surprised to hear heavy footsteps on the stairs not long after dinnertime.

"If I come all the way down, you gonna punch me? Cause I don't think I could stand to fight back. So my only option would be to let you kill me," Tony said, only half-joking.

Gibbs kept working. "Someday, DiNozzo, you'll have a daughter. And if you ever find her in bed with some man, you'll understand that I just want one satisfying punch."  
Tony smiled but he said, "If it'll make things all right between us, Boss, go ahead." He leaned against the sawhorse. "I asked Sam to let me come alone. She didn't like the idea, but I thought you might have things to say that you'd rather just say to me. You have objections. Let me hear them."

"This is Sam's first serious relationship. She's young," he said.

"I know, Boss. But Sam is also more mature than people twice her age. I've had my fun. I have no problem committing to Sam. There's nobody I care about more than her," Tony said sincerely.

"I know, Tony," Gibbs said. "But Sam hasn't had _her_ fun. What if _she_ hurts _you? _You gonna stick around? Cause I don't want to lose you, Tony."

Tony blinked twice before he understood Gibbs' words. "You're…worried about me too? Not just Sam?"

"Course I'm worried about you, son. You're family to me. What happens if this thing falls apart?" Gibbs said.

Tony was serious when he said, "I know that I sound naïve, boss, but I don't think it will. Sam and I have something that runs deep. She loves me, sir. And I love her. Have for a long time. I understand who she is and where she came from. I understand that you'll always be #1 in her life. I'm ok with that. This isn't some passing fling. Not for either of us."

"Sam is young. Is that fair to her? To have her life decided at 19?" Gibbs asked.

Tony considered that for a few minutes before he said, "Sam isn't an ordinary girl. And I don't think she has a lot of wild oats to sow. That's just not who she is. She wants security. She wants love. And I can give her both. There are times, Gibbs, when you meet the right person and you just….know. I feel differently about Sam than I've ever felt about anyone in my life."  
Tony took a deep breath and said, "I want to ask you a question, and I don't want it to come off flippant or uncaring. I'm asking sincerely, ok, Gibbs?"

Gibbs readied himself and nodded.

"If I understood Sam right, your first serious relationship was with your wife, Shannon, right?" he asked. Gibbs nodded again. "And you were both young. But, you were happy, weren't you?"

"Yeah DiNozzo, we were," he said softly.

Tony shrugged. "When you meet the right person, I don't think any of that other stuff matters. You hold onto that person with everything you've got, and you never take a day for granted."

Gibbs sighed. "I'll give you that, Tony. But is it fair to ask Sam to be the wife of an NCIS agent? It's not easy."  
Tony laughed, "Probably as easy as being raised by one. Sam loves the job. She respects it. And she has never once given any indication that she resents your unpredictable schedule. If anyone would understand my work, I think it would be Sam."

Gibbs accepted that. "So how does this work with you and I? There's rules about family being on the same team. Again, I don't want to lose you, DiNozzo."

Tony shrugged, "Are we any more family with Sam and I dating than we were with me sitting on your couch five nights a week? It's worked so far."

"Say I need you to work late and you have to stand Sam up. That gonna come between me and her? I still need to be able to be the boss of my people," Gibbs said.

"Again, it hasn't been a problem before, Gibbs. I'll do my best not to bring it into the office. I know I can drive you crazy sometimes with my sense of humor, but I think I've done a pretty good job of not taking advantage of our friendship so far. I would keep our relationship quiet for now. Give everyone some idea to get used to the idea before McGee and David find out. I let you head slap me and growl around at the office just as much as you always have before. Have I ever played that card, Boss? This morning being the one exception…" Tony said.

"No, Tony. You haven't. Maybe that wasn't a fair question," Gibbs said. "I'm asking myself just as much as you. Can I treat you fairly if I know it's going to affect Sam? If you had the opportunity to promote, would I do it if it meant Sam was moving away? I don't know…"

Tony winked, "Well, Boss, rest easy because I've turned down two promotions already in order to stay on your team. I like what we've got. You let me follow my gut. I don't need a title to fulfill me."

Gibbs stared at him for a few minutes, then nodded. He knew Tony was loyal, but he didn't understand the full impact until that moment. "DiNozzo, you were wrong earlier, when you said I'd always be Sam's #1. I knew that some day a guy would come along and take that place. Bump me down to #2. I won't pretend it's easy to see that day is here. But it's healthy. It's the way it should be. I want her to have a #1 in her corner. And I can't think of another guy I'd feel better about giving the spot to than you. There might be some times I don't make it easy for you. Not doing it on purpose. You'll understand one day what it means to let a child go. But you go be Sam's #1. Don't worry about me."

"I think Sam's heart is big enough for both of us, Boss. And look, I promise not to come between you. I know that Sundays are sacred for you guys and I respect that. I won't interfere," Tony began but Gibbs cut him off.

"Sundays are for family, Tony. And that includes you. I expect you to be here," Gibbs said.

Tony swallowed the lump forming in his throat. He wasn't used to unconditional acceptance by family members. "I'll be here, Boss."

Gibbs came around then to shake Tony's hand. They shook, and then Gibbs couldn't resist giving Tony a sucker punch to the gut. It wasn't hard, but hard enough to make Tony grunt. "That's for this morning. No father should ever have to walk in on that."

"Never again, Boss," Tony said. "I enjoyed that moment even less than you, if that's possible."

Gibbs shook his head and then said, "I'm glad you bought her flowers, Tony. I'm glad you stayed this morning. I'm glad you're treating her like a woman should be treated. It's…what I wanted for her."

He poured Tony a drink and handed him a tool, and the two sanded for the rest of the night.

Gibbs didn't voice his concerns to Sam. He knew that if he expressed any disapproval at all, she would feel conflicted. He just wanted her to enjoy this time. So when she appeared the next morning for brunch with Tony at her side, he just smiled and gave her his usual hug.

"Daddy," she teased, "I want you to meet my boyfriend, Tony."

There were a few awkward moments for them all, like the first time Gibbs walked in the living room to find DiNozzo with his hand on Sammie's thigh and his arm around her. He caught Gibbs staring at him and lifted a brow. They'd worked together long enough that Gibbs knew what he was silently asking. "Want me to move?" Gibbs shook his head and smiled.

Gibbs drew the line, though, when he walked in to a hot and heavy make out session one evening. "Ah come on guys! Not here!" They broke apart with mumbled apologies, and Gibbs didn't smile until he turned around to walk away.

Not all the moments were bad, though. Gibbs also got to see DiNozzo and Sammie dancing in the backyard when they thought they were alone. They didn't have any music, but they didn't need any. He used to do the same thing with Shannon and he knew that Sammie had found someone special.

A few months in, Tony and Gibbs did have a confrontation at work. Looking back on it, he could admit that he was in a bad mood. He'd been a bear all day. SecNav and Leon had thrown a whole lot of red tape his way, and he was taking his frustration out on his team. He noticed Abby's hurt look when he was short with her, but not even that stopped his growling and banging around. Ducky tried to reign him in, but it irritated him even more.

"You got your reports done?" he asked his team. They all looked surprised.

"Well, no Boss. We just got started," McGee said.

"Don't expect to leave until it's all finished," Gibbs said cooly. They looked at each other. That was totally unreasonable. They were all smart enough not to say anything and to buckle in for an extremely late night until Tony spoke up.

"Boss? Is there a reason these can't be turned in by end of day tomorrow?" Tony asked. The tension was thick as Gibbs stared at him.

"Yeah, DiNozzo. There is a reason. And the reason is that I told you to have it on my desk tonight!" he yelled.

"I understand, Boss. And if it was time sensitive I'd never bring it up. But you know as well as I do that you're making the team stay just because you want to. We work late all the time. We have lives and we deserve to get to them when we can," Tony said.

"David, McGee, just give your paperwork to DiNozzo. He's concerned about your lives," Gibbs barked. "Tony will be glad to do it, even if he has to stay up all night."

Ziva and Tim looked torn until Tony motioned with his head for them to leave. He and Gibbs needed to have this out. As soon as the elevator dinged, Gibbs rounded on him. "How dare you question me and challenge my authority in front of the team!" He squinted his eyes. "You think because you wanna go on a date you can talk to me that way?"

Tony sighed. Gibbs saw for the first time how tired he was. "No, Boss. But this is the first time I've had someone in my life worth fighting for. I've worked late all week to finish this case, and if I have to fight for a better work life balance, I'm gonna do it for her. Especially when it's not life and death. You and I both know that this is nothing more than you letting your temper get the best of you and you're taking it out on the wrong people. We give you 100 percent every time you ask it. What you did today was a bad decision, and you're exhausting your team. Wasn't trying to hurt your authority. Was just trying to get you back on the rails, Boss."

They held each other's eyes for a few minutes and Gibbs noticed that it was the first time Tony didn't back down or look away. It angered him. "Have fun with your all-nighter, DiNozzo," he said as he grabbed his keys and left Tony standing alone, exhausted and defeated.

Gibbs was at home heating a microwave dinner when Sammie walked in, looking very unhappy. "Stay out of it, Samantha," he warned.

"That's what Tony said, too," she confessed.

"Well for once DiNozzo got it right," Gibbs growled.

"He wouldn't let me bring him dinner. He's upset," Sam said.

"So am I," Gibbs sat his plate down hard.

"I don't know what happened and I'm not going to ask, Dad. But I want to remind you that Tony has been an agent for a long time," she began.

"Don't you think I know that?" Gibbs interrupted. "Taught him everything he knows."

"Tony is a man. You ever butt heads with Mike when you were his age?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Gibbs said.

"I'm sure it's hard, trying to be a man and have self-respect, and still follow orders of someone you look up to so much," Sam said quietly. "You ever feel like you needed to stand up to Mike?"

Gibbs was silent.

"I don't know, Daddy, what the whole story is and I won't ask. I just hope that you know how loyal Tony is to you. I don't want you to take advantage of that loyalty. I don't want him to feel like he has to move out from under you to keep his dignity. I know how important it is to follow orders without question for your team, but does that extend to voicing their opinions? Cause I know Tony wouldn't have made that decision lightly. Even if he was wrong in the way he did it, Dad, Tony wouldn't have ticked you off on purpose. And even if he was wrong enough to warrant discipline like extra work and staying all night, I hope that you know he would still not want that to affect what's between the two of you," Sam got up to leave, but she stood behind Gibbs and leaned down to hug him first. "I love you, Daddy. I know you'll do the right thing. You always do."

Gibbs sighed. He appreciated that Sam and Tony had so much faith in him, but he knew he didn't always do the right thing. Far from it.

Gibbs sat his plate on the counter and drove back to NCIS. He felt guilty when he saw Tony typing furiously, trying to finish a task that he couldn't possibly do in time. Gibbs berated himself. By loading Tony up, there were sure to be mistakes in the paperwork.

"Tony," he said softly.

Tony looked up in surprise. "Boss! You're back. Look, I'm moving as fast as I can here-"

"I was wrong, Tony," Gibbs said. "Not many people around here who will stand up to me. I don't always take it well." Tony's mouth quirked. That was an understatement. "But I appreciate you being man enough to tell me I was earning the second b in my name." Tony looked surprised, but Gibbs continued. "Do me a favor, though. You ever need to address something again, let's do it in private, ok?"

Tony nodded, "I should've thought it out better, Boss."

"Wasn't your fault, DiNozzo. It was mine. Go on home and get some rest. I'll finish here," Gibb said.

"You don't have to do that, Boss," Tony said.

"Know I don't. But I embarrassed you today. You're exhausted. If I want you at the top of your game I need to ease up. I realize that."

"What if we both put in another hour and came back to it tomorrow?" Tony suggested. "I bet the others would even take up some of the slack."

Gibbs smiled, "You've always got my six, DiNozzo."

A few months later Tony found Gibbs in the elevator. "Boss, I'm thinking about buying a house. I wondered if you'd take a look at it and see what you think about the shape it's in?"

"Big step, DiNozzo," Gibbs said.

Tony looked excited, "Yup. Never really had a place to call home before. I think it's about time, don't you?"  
Gibbs clapped him on the back. "Sure, DiNozzo. Let's check it out after work."

Gibbs was shocked when Tony pulled into a driveway diagonal from his own. "Realtor gave me an inside track when I asked for this neighborhood. It hasn't gone on market yet." Tony looked unsure. "If it's too close to you, I understand, Boss. But, I'm looking for a home for me and Sammie. And not in the distant future. I want to marry her soon, Boss. I figure Sam would like being close to you. And if I ever have to go out of country, you can keep an eye on Sam. Not that she needs someone watching her, but you know what I mean, right Boss? I don't want to leave her alone. And then if you want to just pop over for dinner, you can and you don't even have to drive and when we have kids I know they'll want to see you all the time and…" he trailed off, watching Gibbs' face nervously.

Gibbs swallowed hard. It was nice to be wanted. He never wanted the kids to feel like they had to include him. He couldn't express how good it felt to realized that they _wanted_ to include him. He clapped Tony on the back. "Let's go take a look."

The house was in great shape. The few repairs that were needed were things that Gibbs was confident he could do. Once he had Gibbs' approval, he showed the house to Sam. She fell in love immediately.

Sam moved home for her third year of college, which suited Gibbs just fine. The only part he didn't like was that now when she chose to spend the night at Tony's, he _knew_ she was spending the night at Tony's house. Before he could put it out of his mind. Now, he had to face it head on.

Tony and Sam had been engaged for a little over a month when a big case broke for NCIS. Serial killer was terrorizing the DC area. People were scared. Navy personnel seemed to be the target, but not the only targets. Fornell and Gibbs were tag teaming and everyone was burning the candle at both ends. Sam tried not to complain, but she was tired of being alone. Tony and her dad had been wrapped up for weeks, and this was the third Sunday that neither one had left the office. She tried to be helpful by bringing food up and even spit balled leads with the team in the bullpen. She could see how much it was wearing on them that they couldn't catch the guy.

Tony had cancelled on yet another lunch when he was called to a scene. Sam knew the team would be there for hours, so she decided to take them some cookies. Knowing better than to take food in a crime scene, she left the cookies wrapped up and on top of the NCIS car. Then she crossed the tape so she could knock on the door and holler in the house that she had left a snack. She was hoping for a quick hug from her dad or Tony. She would take either one. As she knocked, though, something caught her eye around the corner. A man was crawling out of one of the small basement windows.

Sammie didn't think. She just yelled, "You have a runner!"

The press that was gathered outside the tape immediately aimed their cameras, but Sam didn't notice. She sprang off the porch and landed on top of the runner. He punched her hard, but her training kicked in. She blocked the next punch and hit him hard in the throat. That enabled her to wrestle him to the ground and pin his arm behind his back. Tony and Ziva were there in a flash, cuffing the man and taking him to the car.

Gibbs looked furious. "Explain."

"I just stopped by to say hello. I saw him and I just grabbed him. I couldn't stop myself,

she said defensively.

Gibbs phone was already ringing. "Vance. What? Live? I didn't know she was here! I don't know! It just happened Leon. I'm trying. Ok. Be there soon."

He turned to Sammie. "Get in the car and don't make a scene. Don't answer any questions. Don't tell them your name. Don't say a word," he said. Sam didn't think he'd ever been this angry before.

It was a quiet ride back to NCIS. Everyone on the team with mad at Sam for interfering in the investigation. The last thing they wanted was this guy walking on a technicality. They pulled into the parking garage and Gibbs said, "David, put her in interrogation 1. She's not a minor this time and we have a lot of legal hoops to jump through."

Sam's heart dropped as she realized that nobody was going to talk to her. Ziva quietly said, "Come on, Sammie."

"Ziva, I wasn't trying to interfere or show boat," she began.

"I know, Samantha. But you should not have been there at all," Ziva said in her quiet way.

"You think I should've just let him run?" Sam asked.

Ziva sighed. "You did the same thing that I would've done. But that does not make it right. He was armed with two knives, Sam. The only thing you had in your favor was the element of surprise. It was very dangerous."

Sam's heart dropped at that news. She had been impulsive. Ziva brought her some ice and she alternated it between her split lip and her swollen eye. Ducky brought her some medicine, and then she was alone.

Sam refused to look scared. She had caught a killer and she wouldn't apologize for that. She knew someone was probably watching her, so she stared straight at the camera and sat back in her chair as if she had all the time in the world. Upstairs in his office, Vance couldn't help but laugh at the feed.

Gibbs and Tony walked in, both looking nothing but ticked off.

"I know I shouldn't have been there. I had no intention of stepping in the house, for the record. But I shouldn't have come. I really just wanted to leave a snack and get a quick hug. I know you're exhausted and…to be honest, I've been pretty lonely this month. But I will not, under any circumstance, apologize for doing what I could as a citizen to stop a criminal. He was going to get away and you guys weren't anywhere close."

Gibbs ignored the guilt he felt at neglecting Sam. "It was dangerous!" He slammed the table and yelled at the top of his lungs. "He's killed 6 people! You really think what you did was wise? There were four of us. We would've caught up."  
"I just followed my gut," Sam said.

"You could've blown the entire investigation and gotten yourself killed when four qualified people were already there to do the job," Tony said as his jaw twitched.

"You're in a lot of legal trouble and I can't do anything to make it go away now that it's been broadcast all over the news. Local and national," Gibbs said.

"I'm sorry the news saw it. I think you know that was never my plan," Sam said.

"You broke rule #1, Sam," Gibbs said.

"I'm too old for that," Sam stood up.

"Like heck you are!" Gibbs screamed back at her.

"It was reckless and illegal for you to be there. You are not an agent, Sam. You aren't trained. You were overconfident and stupid. One thing I had to learn when I came here was that my gut wasn't more important than the team. Ever. Team is first. Your gut doesn't trump safety. Your gut doesn't trump the team," Tony said. "Took Boss awhile to get that one drilled into me."

Gibbs shook his head, "It's a classic rookie mistake. Gotta head slap it out of them."

Sammie looked a little nervous. Then embarrassed. "I wasn't trying to be overconfident. I just saw a bad guy and I ran. Do you really think you would've gotten him if I hadn't shown up when I did and alerted you?"

The men hesitated just long enough that Sam knew they weren't sure. "Isn't it worth getting a little hurt to save lives?" They hesitated again.

"It's not worth getting dead, Sam," Tony said.

Gibbs' phone rang. He shut it and said, "Vance wants you. Alone." Sam sighed. The fact that neither of the men in her life had asked about her injuries showed just how angry they were. She tried to hide her exhaustion as she walked up the stairs to the Director's office.

"Come in, Samantha," Vance said seriously. "I just got off the phone with SecNav. He wants to know why a college co-ed is all over the news taking down one of the biggest criminals in DC when the FBI and NCIS couldn't get him."

Sammie shifted. "I don't get the credit Director. They did all the work. I was just at the right place at the right time."

Vance raised his brows. "Were you in the right place, Sam? Cause SecNav recalls you being in a crime scene before. And making the news on another occasion. Seems you have a knack for being where you actually shouldn't be. SecNav is ticked at you, ticked at Gibbs. Probably should be ticked at DiNozzo but don't think he knows about the two of you. He is calling for action."

Sam looked defeated. "You're gonna ban me from NCIS aren't you?"

Vance hid a smile. "SecNav ordered me to either file charges against you or offer you a job."

Sam digested that information for a moment. "You're…offering me a job?"

Vance nodded. "If you hadn't been on a crime scene, you'd be getting a civilian commendation for bravery right now. We've seen on two occasions that you've made good decisions under pressure and that you've acted with courage and good instinct. You obviously have the physical skills needed. If I know your father, you're proficient in firearm training. You've got the Gibbs' gut, and the information you gathered in the Vulture case led us to him. I think you're a prime candidate. Of course, you need to finish your degree, but then we would fast track you into field agent. Not the same team as your family, of course. But still working here. If you say yes, you'll start some preliminary training as you finish your schooling. If you say no, SecNav says to slap your wrist and tell you to stay away from NCIS or he will make sure that orange is your new favorite wardrobe color."

Sammie blew out a breath. "Woah. That's a lot to take in. I never thought that I might be able to work here. You want me here, sir?"

Vance laughed, "There's no doubt you're going to be a pain in my butt, Sammie. I honestly don't know how I'm going to manage two Gibbs. But I think you're worth the trouble. You can't walk in here as cocky as you are. You're gonna have to dial it back and be ready to learn. But if you can follow orders Sam, and with Gibbs as a father I'm guessing you can, then I think you have a real future here."

Sam smiled and then winced. Vance laughed, "I wondered if you were ever gonna admit that hurt." He nodded towards the cameras and Sam knew he'd been watching her stand up for herself with the men.

"You're tough, Sam. You can do this. You just have to decide what you want," Vance stood and shook her hand.

"Thank you, Director. I'm honored with the offer. I'll get back to you soon," Sam shook his hand firmly and headed out.

She'd barely gotten out the door when Gibbs pushed past her and strode into Vance's office. Leon sighed as Gibbs slammed the door. "How much trouble is she in, Leon? Do I need to get a lawyer? She technically didn't enter the building, I might be able to work with that. What can you offer her?"

"I offered her a job," Vance said.

Gibbs cursed under his breath. "Why would you do that?"

Vance smiled. "I didn't tell her this, but she's got more raw potential and well-rounded qualities than many of the candidates than I've seen roll through here in years."

"Would you want Kayla being a field agent?" Gibbs was angry.

"I'd want Kayla doing what made her happy. I want her doing what she's meant to do," Vance answered.

"You owed it to me to talk to me first, Leon!" Gibbs yelled.

Leon sighed, "Maybe so. But she's getting a criminal justice degree, Gibbs. What did you think she was going to do? Can't protect her forever."

Gibbs sat down hard. "Sammie. A federal agent?"

Vance shrugged. "That is up to Sammie."

_One year later:_

Sammie Gibbs-DiNozzo squared her shoulders and took a deep breath.

"You're going to be great," Tony assured her. "I'm so proud of you."

Gibbs got out of his car at the same time and patted Sam on the back. "It won't be easy, but if anyone can do it, you can Sam. I believe in you."

With the two men she loved most in the world, Sammie stepped into NCIS as an agent for the very first time.


End file.
